Begonias set to be Swansea’s most popular bloom this spring

With spring well and truly here and the gardening season in full swing, research from garden centre retailer, Dobbies, has found that a massive 92% of Swansea locals are looking forward to doing more gardening this spring.

The research, from Independent Media News, looked into this year’s gardening trends, attitudes towards gardening, garden centres themselves and some of the misconceptions about the UK’s favourite pastime.

Dobbies’ Swansea store has had a great start to the season and looking at customer trends from last year and this year to-date, General Manager, Matthew Coombes, predicts Begonias will be the most popular plant for Swansea gardeners this spring.

Begonia are a great way to bring some colour to your inside or outside space. Often used as houseplants or in a shaded summer bed in the garden, these easy-care plants need little maintenance and can thrive in a partially shaded or filtered sunlight spot.

Begonias will bloom in the garden continuously from summer right the way through until frost, and then you’re best taking them inside the house as they are not perennial plants.

Research from Dobbies shows that almost 1/3 of Swansea residents are investing in plants they can use both indoor and outdoors, and Begonia is the perfect plant to do that. There are many ways you can display your Begonias, and we often see customers add these to their hanging baskets, window boxes or borders for a pack of colour.

Dobbies’ Horticultural Director, Marcus Eyles, encourages Swansea residents to Spring it on this year by sharing his top tips on Begonias and why they are so popular in Wales: “Begonias are a great addition to any garden or house, no matter the size or shape of your borders or room.

“We recommend planting Begonias in the garden during May when the frost is long gone to maximise their flowering potential and suggest mulching well with peat-free compost to encourage strong growth.

“These hardy blooms thrive in a shaded spot and can go a while without watering so don’t worry if you miss a feed.”