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The nice thing about living in the southern part of New Brunswick is that many of the properties are shaded by lovely, mature trees. But for the gardener, this can be a problem, since so many plants one picks up at local nurseries are marked as growing best in full sun conditions.

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photo contributed

Photo shows tuberous begonia surrounded by pansies. Tuberous begonias are a bright and beautiful flower.

The answer for those who want bright colour and beautiful flowers but are loathe to cut down any trees on their property is to invest in the adaptable tuberous begonia. This time of the year you can purchase a wide variety of begonias in bright reds, oranges, yellows and pinks.

Then, in either your flower bed or a container, plant them to grow in semi-shaded areas where they can enjoy a touch of early morning or late afternoon sun, but are spared the searing heat of noonday brightness. In fact, too much sun on your begonias will burn their leaves.

You will know if they are not getting quite enough sun, on the other hand, if the plant becomes spindly.

Be cautious when watering your tuberous begonias, avoiding getting moisture directly on the leaves if you can help it. They can easily develop mildew if you aren't careful, so try to use a watering can that gets in under the leaves and directly onto the soil. Add 12-36-12 fertilizer during the summer months.

After the flowers are finished blooming, remove them as well as any leaves that have yellowed or appear damaged.

Tuberous begonias are economical plants to grow because you can save them for replanting from season to season. Leave them out in your garden in the late fall until they have been blackened by the first frost. Then carefully dig up the tuber and set it on a newspaper in a cool location for at least two weeks.

Once it has dried out some, cut back the stems to four to six inches from the tuber and remove any extra soil, again working very gently.

When the remaining soil clinging to the tuber turns to dust and shakes off, sprinkle the tuber with bulb dust you purchase at a nursery and place it in a closed container filled with dry sand or, if you don't have access to that, vermiculite that you purchase at a nursery.

Store the tubers for the winter in a dry, dark area where the temperature stays cool (no higher than 10 degrees Celsius.)

Around Valentine's Day in February, get the tubers out and replant them to get a head start on the upcoming gardening season.

Gardener's Diary

Horticultural Society to meet - Members of the Westmorland Horticultural Society will meet June 23 at 7:30 p.m. at the Mapleton Park Rotary Pavilion. Guest speaker will be Dwayne Biggar, the Bird Man, who will talk about the best seed and feeders.

Gardens sought - The YWCA of Moncton is looking for local gardens to be featured on their Greater Moncton Garden Tour to be held July 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Deadline for nominations is June 26. Call 855-4349 for more details or e-mail ywcamctn@nbnet.nb.ca.