By: Marie Streich Head Horticulturist/Grower Bloch’s Farm

New for 2019 Bloch’s Farm is growing an expanded selection of annual Coleus and Begonias. Foliage is hot right now! What makes these plants the best choice for the Green Lake area is the fact that they are both shade tolerant and drought tolerant. Coleus and Begonias will look good in containers or in the landscape from spring all the way until the first hard frost of the fall, making it easy for customers to grow stunning containers and stand out landscapes.

Bossa Nova Begonias are a new option coming in coral, white, and yellow.  Excellent for use in dramatic hanging baskets, colorful combination planters, and a variety of other applications where continuous color-power is needed all season long. Bossa Nova exhibits excellent branching on a tidy, yet abundant habit. It easily fills out smaller pots in the early stages of growth. As it matures, Bossa Nova trails into an impressive, cascading plant, covered entirely with 2-inch, bell-shaped flowers, which provide continuous color. It thrives in a variety of climates, including high heat, and enjoys full sun to shade.

There are many varieties of Rex Begonias and while this plant certainly isn’t new to the industry new improved varieties are being created all the time. With all the breeding that has gone on with Rex begonias, it’s hard not to find one that strikes your fancy, especially as more and more selections are being introduced with a wide range of colors and intriguing veining and puckering in the leaves. Rex begonias have fabulous foliage. The flowers are insignificant, but with leaves like these, who cares? The leaf sizes vary but grow up to 9 inches long and 5 inches wide, while the mounding habit of the plants generally reaches 12 to 18 inches tall and wide—the perfect proportions to create gorgeous and dramatic planting combinations with perennials, annuals, or other tropical beauties. Rex begonias headline the show for months on end in any shade garden, especially when grown in containers. These plants prefer shaded, humid conditions and rich, aerated soil like that found on the forest floor.

Watch for next week’s article on our expanded selection of coleus. Bloch’s Farm is still closed for the season but we are busy planting and getting ready to blow you away with beauty! Visit our website www.blochsfarm.com and feel free to email me at marie@blochsfarm.com, or call at 920-294-6000.

Thanks for joining me!

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton