I had my canes buried in a corner last year in some pretty deep shade. Although they looked great all summer long the blooms were sparse at best. I then overwintered them under a shop light in my basement and the crazy things bloomed their fool heads off. Go figure.
So I'm wondering if I didn't give them enough light last year. I have another spot picked out that gets full sun until about 1:00, then shade the rest of the day. Is that TOO much sun?
Thanks in advance for any input,
La
Lighting Requirements
Some canes seem to bloom a lot easier than others but you are so right on light requirements. For example I had Silvermist in fairly deep shade last summer and it had the largest silver leaves but no blooms. In previous summers the leaves were more green and a bit smaller but it bloomed its fool head off. Dragon Wings love sun and will bloom non stop. If they don't get enough light they get weak and bloom sporadically.
You will have to decide whether 1 PM sun is too much or not. Some begonias handle it with aplomb while others are shrinking violets. Acclimate them slowly (over a week or two) by moving them further out to full sun. If they suffer, move them back. Most thicker leaf canes should be okay and even some thinner leaf canes like Sinbad love it. I think if you keep them from drying out, most begonias can handle a lot of sun. Don't despair if some leaves burn when you first start moving them out to fuller sun. Just cut those off and the new ones should fill out quickly and take the sun better than the older leaves.
The canes in the picture were from a few years ago but got afternoon sun and grew like weeds.
Thanks Butch, I'll try the gradual acclimation approach. I really didn't like the spot they were in last year anyway as they were too 'hidden away' and they're much too pretty for that. The new spot is right off the deck and if they do well there they should be a real show-stopper. I'll be sure to post pictures if I get good results.
This message was edited May 30, 2009 9:59 AM
I'm looking forward to seeing your pictures. I'm sure they will do fine in almost any spot you put them as long as they aren't in the middle of a field with the only water being rain.