Dahlias are the darling of the vase and garden this time of year and with so many new varieties there are now dahlias for even the smallest balcony or patio.

Dahlias crave the sunshine and deserve a spotlight in hot spots but there is another plant that will put on an August show of color I the shade. Look to tuberous begonias for show stopping late summer color and early autumn color.

Begonias are very thirsty in August

In our Western Washington climate begonias grow best in containers but by the month of August, pots of begonias can be so full of roots and tubers that water just slips down the sides of the pot. The solution is to sink the entire hanging basket of begonias into a bucket to really soak those roots.

Meet a new, bright yellow begonia variety that will shine like sunshine: Begonia ‘Portofino’ from the Dummen Orange brand.

This is a begonia with a mounding habit about 12 inches tall and the intense yellow blooms are set off with deep green leaves and stems with a bit of red shading. Unlike other full and fluffy begonias, this variety will perform in full shade (mine are in a window box on the North side of the house] but will also thrive in part or full sun situations. If the plant is not in hot sun reflected off a building it will adapt to full sun. The large rose-like blooms appear all summer and into the fall but consider this begonia an annual in our climate. Like all begonias it resents dry soil so keep the soil moist but don’t let it rot in soil with poor drainage. In our climate begonias do best in containers and this brightly colored bloomer can be used in hanging baskets, mixed as a “filler” with other plants in a large container or used to show off at eye level in a window box. Just be sure to have sun glasses handy – the yellow color will light up any corner of the landscape.

Dahlias Going Blind?

A frequent question about dahlias is why they fail to bloom or stop flowering. This is called “going blind” and there are several reasons why dahlias will disappoint when it comes to making flower buds.

Number one reason for no flowers on your dahlias – lack of water. When a dahlia plant dries out even once it stops producing flower buds to conserve moisture. Give a blind dahlia more water and after a couple of weeks it may forgive you and you’ll hear “This buds for you” once again.

The second reason for dahlias going blind is the wrong fertilizer at the wrong time of year. A plant food too high in nitrogen (that is the first number in the fertilizer 3 number ratio) will encourage foliage growth at the expense of flowers. Use tomato food or an all-purpose 5-10-10 fertilizer once the dahlia plants are a few inches tall.

Third, and common in Western Washington is lack of heat and sunshine. Plant dahlias in a sunny location and be patient as our cool spring weather makes newly planted dahlias slow to grow and bloom until the ground warms up.

Finally, keep cutting those dahlia flowers once they bloom. Deadheading or removing the faded flowers on dahlia plants will keep them producing until the first hard frost.

A New Dahlia for Small Spaces: Dahlia Mega Bloom Raspberry Ice

This new variety is the earliest to flower dahlia in my own partly shaded garden and the flowers are much larger than you would expect on such a compact plant. There is no need to stake this stubby variety that grows about one foot tall with sturdy stems. The deep pink blooms turn red as they mature and this dahlia plant is ideal for containers, window boxes or the front of a flower border. The only garden gossip is how messy the flowers get after they have passed their prime. The untidy appearance will be your reminder to snip off the old flowers to encourage new blooms all summer and into the fall.

Tip: In my garden I grow white flowers around the saturated pink tone of the “Raspberry Ice” dahlia. The color contrast makes the unusual raspberry pink color really pop.

Tip: You can follow me on social media to see images of this combo and other parts of my garden.

Marianne Binetti has a degree in horticulture from Washington State University and is the author of “Easy Answers for Great Gardens” and several other books. For answers to gardening questions, visit plantersplace.com and click “As The Expert”. Copyright for this column owned by Marianne Binetti. For more gardening information, she can be reached at her website, www.binettigarden.com.