Begonia Silver Moon

The 'Silver Moon' Begonia is a semi-hardy Begonia with large dark green leaves marbled with silver. During the summer and into early autumn, it produces delicate little pink flowers. With its exotic and elegant appearance, it will bring life to your shady beds in mild climates, but you can also keep it in a pot in colder regions. It requires a moist and humus-rich soil to thrive.

The 'Silver Moon' Begonia is a variety resulting from hybridizations between several Asian species. Begonias give their name to the Begoniaceae family, which mainly includes tropical plants. Therefore, few can be planted outdoors in our climates. The only truly hardy species is Begonia grandis, but 'Silver Moon' is part of these relatively recent varieties that can be considered semi-hardy. It has large toothed leaves with silver marbling, revealing an elegant network of dark green veins. The young leaves are slightly shaded with pink and purplish on the underside, and the petiole is also purplish red. The plant forms a compact clump about 30cm (12in) tall and 40cm (16in) wide. Between July and September, or even October, it produces slender spikes that can exceed 40cm (16in), carrying small candy pink flowers suspended at the end of slender peduncles that are also pink.

At the first frost, Begonia leaves wither and disappear quickly. In addition, in spring, the stumps emerge late from their rest. Therefore, carefully locate their position to avoid accidentally hoeing the stump!

The 'Silver Moon' Begonia can be planted outdoors in mild climates, such as by the sea, in wooded areas where its beautiful marbling will brighten up shady areas in partial shade or shade. It appreciates moist to wet humus-rich soils that are well-drained, in which it can withstand brief frosts of around -5 to -7°C (23 to 19.4°F), perhaps more, but the variety is recent and its cultivation lacks experience. Waterlogged soils in winter should be avoided, but they should not dry out too much during summer either. Elsewhere, it can be given a prominent place in a potted composition that is kept frost-free, or possibly in a very sheltered patio. If the location suits it, the clump will slowly spread by short fleshy but brittle rhizomes.

It will blend very well with other plants that prefer cool shade, such as Saruma henryi, Cautleya gracilis, Epimedium 'Amber Queen', or even bushes like Mahonia nitens 'Cabaret'. Also consider planting spring bulbs (daffodils, squills, snowdrops...) to fill the space while waiting for the leaves to emerge.