Your new plant find of 2013

JWK, as promised, I had a look today at the Begonia 'Santa Cruz Sunset'.
They are planted in large round terracotta pots about 16ins (40cm) in diameter and each pot contains 11 or 12 plants.
They're still putting on a good show, they looked rather bedraggled when we had some cooler weather and rain last week, but with the warm and dry weather this week they've perked up nicely again.
I took a couple more photos to show them in a bit more detail.

 

Deffo grow it in a pot as it is only hardy down to -7°c.
If you're after ideas for 2014, but need something that is hardy, then look no further than its cousin Iris japonica....................




It's a spring bloomer and thrives in a pot or the ground.

 

How big have they got (in the ground) John?

(I'm about to do my annual plant-photographing and measuring - basically taking a photograph of the tape measure on the plant - to assist with planning in future years. I have too many short-plants, behind tall-plants, which have not performed as expected, nor as it said on the packet!)

 

Lovely plants New Guinea Impatiens . Photo below is a version of NG's , Sunpatiens . Now the photo is not true as the sunlight seems to reflect on the silky leaves showing orange patches , the true colour is as shown in the top right of the photo.
John how did you take so many cuttings of your NGs? What is the technique to use?

 

Thanks John, about what I was expecting, and I think a little short for what I need front-of-border.

I did a batch of cuttings, earlier in the year, 50:50 compost/sharp sand, whereas normally I use 50:50 Perlite, but I had run out of Perlite. A later batch was done with Perlite. The Perlite had fewer roots (X weeks from starting them), I know its later in the season and so on, but Perlite has been my stock in trade for many seasons and I now wonder which is better !.

I've vowed to do a side by side test next year

I found that the compost/sand pots were incredibly heavy, and I thought must be holding a lot of water. The compost didn't seem that wet when I potted them on ...

The perlite ones (I potted on this weekend) were really wet, and I think that may have effected the amount of root they have produced ...

Both lots were under mist propagator, so do get a lot of water on them. The 50:50 Sand ones were on the bench for several weeks because I needed the space under the mist bench, so that might have given them time to make more roots whilst being drier.

I still like the Perlite at potting on time though. It crumbles off the roots so easily, whereas I was having to tear some cuttings apart in the 50:50 Sand mixture (and I had a few pots of just compost, their roots were really matted, and mostly only around the outside of the pots, the roots had not ventured into the centre, and thus quite a lot of root damage at potting on time).

Experiment needed at which time I might try 100% Perlite too. I also think I should start dilute feed once I see some new top growth.