The Shadow King Rex

Begonia Rex 'Shadow King^® Black Cherry’ PP24717

Although Rex Begonias are known as indoor plants, we use them successfully in containers and in shady landscape applications. They love low light, and come in bright colors and interesting textures, plus we sell cultivars that are not finicky. We find that the Rex fanbase is large and vocal, so there is a built-in audience that appreciates them. However, picking a good Rex beyond ‘Escargot’ is a tricky affair.

For this job, we turn to the Shadow King series. These Rex Begonias focus on the industry professional, but they are not magic bullets. Because we would rather design to a plant’s strengths, we try to understand the breeding under the hood. With that in mind, let’s dive into what makes this series tick.

Begonia Rex ‘Shadow King^® Cool White’ PP24738

Calibrachoa 'Superbells^® Holy Smokes!’

Stripes add an element of fun that’s always in style and we have two head-turning striped Calibrachoas for spring:

‘Superbells^® Holy Smokes!’ is covered with unique flowers all season. Each bloom consists of a soft yellow base decorated with blue-purple splotches that are outlined in white. Plants have a mounding, trailing habit that makes an elegant presentation spilling out of window boxes and patio containers—with the heat tolerance and easy maintenance we rely on from Superbells^®.

Calibrachoa 'MiniFamous^® Uno Double PinkTastic’

‘MiniFamous^® Uno Double PinkTastic’ won the FleuroSelect FleuroStar Award for 2017/18 with highly contrasted bicolor flowers. Two circles of inner petals in each bloom create depth, with light pink edges and dark pink centers. This plant has a lovely ball-shaped habit and is half-trailing for long lasting containers and hanging baskets that stand up to the elements in the typical MiniFamous^® spirit.

‘Superbells^® Holy Smokes!’ is available in the 4.5-inch pot. ‘MiniFamous^® Uno Double PinkTastic’ comes in the 10-inch hanging basket.

Caladium ‘Spring Fling’—a vibrant red for shade

If you need a red for shade, this is it. ‘Spring Fling’ is the reddest Caladium we’ve got. These vibrant pink leaves are large and showy, with striking black veins and matching stems. It grows about 18 inches tall.

‘Spring Fling’ is available in the 4.5-inch pot.