Certain plants in my garden have struggled to perform well during the wettest summer I can remember, but one seasonal favourite is shining through despite a lack of warmth and sunshine.

Having invested in a costly vertical gardening set up for my patio wall, I am pleased that Unwins Begonia ‘Non-Stop Mix’ and  trailing Begonia ‘Citrus Shades’ are performing so well on a wall that only receives direct sunlight for a short period early in the morning (and this has been a rare occurance due to dull weather this summer).

I planted them into the display trays as young plug plants earlier in the season, and initially I was worried, as even in the greenhouse they grew very slowly to start. But as you can see in the photo above, they are making a stunning display, giving my wall (which already has the wow factor because of its vertical grow system) the extra factor that ensures all visitors to my garden are instantly drawn to the block of dense foliage and vibrant colour.

Planted in Westland multi-purpose with added John Innes, and a scattering of Westland Slow release plant food, all I have had to do is keep the display watered.  And while slugs have been a problem for many of my patio plants,  I can see they have visited the begonias, but I can’t find a bite mark on them.

If 2013 looks to be as much of a slug infested wash out at this year, you can bet I’ll have begonias growing in more places in the garden than just my patio wall!