Last year I was all excited about Begonia ‘Santa Cruz Sunset’ and deemed it a Garden Winner. I marveled at how I forget to water my plants throughout most of last summer and yet they still survived and thrived.
I used to plant impatiens in barrels in my front yard, but because Impatiens Downy Mildew is still a concern and because I love any plant that lets me forget about it and still performs like a superstar, I decided to grow ‘Santa Cruz Sunset’ instead.
I started plants from seed indoors in late February and by mid-May they were ready to be introduced to their new home outdoors. I planted 5 plants in each barrel and by mid-summer you couldn’t even see the barrels anymore. The plants still looked fabulous in late September:
I watered these plants more often than last year’s, but when I did forget to water them they never showed any signs of stress. The pointy leaves form a nice mound and the scarlet-red flowers appear at the ends of the stems.
‘Santa Cruz Sunset’ grows 12 to 18 inches tall in full sun to part-shade. You can really just plant them and forget them. You don’t have to deadhead them, they never need trimming and they’re very forgiving if you forget to water them. I did give my plants a foliar fertilizer a couple of times throughout the summer, but only because I was already spraying needy annuals nearby.
I’m just as enamored with this Garden Winner as I was last year. Sometimes new introductions only a last a few years and then they disappear from the market. I hope ‘Santa Cruz Sunset’ seeds are available for many years to come.