Last year I veered off my normal path and tried ‘Bossa Nova’ Begonias. They were okay, but nothing like the trustworthy and flashy blooms of ‘Santa Cruz Sunset’ which I called one of my “Garden Winners” back in 2014. Here’s what I wrote back then and all of it still applies—my plants are currently loaded with buds in mid-October:
I must revisit the wonder of my ‘Santa Cruz Sunset’ begonias and give them the “Garden Winner” status they deserve. The plants just won’t stop blooming. In fact, it’s now October and they are still covered in buds.
The foliage looks like it did in June, green and lush. This time of year ALL of my annuals and perennials have at least a few brown or yellowing leaves or show some sort of decline—not these plants! Meanwhile autumn leaves twirl from the sky and collect nearby. I can’t even find any seed heads on these crazy plants.
I’ve never grown a plant that required so little care yet looked so good for so many months.
‘Santa Cruz Sunset’ grows 12 to 18 inches tall in full sun or partial-shade. The plants require absolutely no deadheading, or trimming back or tidying. They will even thrive if you forget to water them as I did many times throughout the summer. And they aren’t bothered by diseases or pests.
We may get some frost in the next few days, and then it will be the final curtain for ‘Santa Cruz Sunset’, but I will definitely be growing this cultivar again next year.