‘Canary Wing’ Begonia – Totally Awesome!

I first saw this colorful begonia (Begonia ‘Canary Wing’) in 2017 at the annual Customer Day at the trial gardens at Ball Seed Company in West Chicago, IL (Gardens at Ball).  It was like a magnetic beacon inviting closer inspection.  Even from a distance I actually said to myself (out loud)…”Is that a golden foliage begonia!!!”.   I saw it used in containers, baskets and in bedding schemes and have observed the same application at many gardens this year as well.  It looked awesome wherever I saw it.  We were able to obtain 100 plants of this gorgeous plant this spring and used them in container arrangements and bedding schemes.  Reaching a height of 12-18″, ‘Canary Wing’ begonia spreads to 18-20″ with a nice mounded form.  It looks great in a basket too as it arches over the edges.  The cherry red blooms really pop nicely against the chartreuse to golden foliage.  In our experience, some degree of direct sunlight is important for maintaining the most consistently golden foliage.  In more shade, this begonia is still a respectable “golden chartreuse” (see photos at bottom of blog for “shadier” shots) with new growth still offering bright gold before fading to chartreuse.  Our best looking specimens received about a half day of direct sunlight, had ample moisture, well-drained soil and a bit of fertilizer every three weeks throughout the summer.  This begonia isn’t destined for greatness..it’s already there!  Introduced by Jared Hughes of Groovy Plants Ranch, LLC (Marengo, OH), ‘Canary Wing’ begonia will have a long future in the industry and will, in my opinion, become indispensable in the partly shaded container or border.  Availability of this gem should increase over the coming years and it will be a staple out in our garden to be sure.

Begonia ‘Canary Wing’ in neat vertical wall (Ball Seed Trial Garden, West Chicago, IL) – above and two below

we used Begonia ‘Canary Wing’ in MANY containers this year for some “oomph”!

used as bedding in part shade at RBG (above and below)

used in quite a bit of shade at the Chicago Botanic Garden (Glencoe, IL) above and two below