Color Fade On Flowering Plants

Question

I have recently bought two ‘New Guinea’ plants with lots of dark green, long leaf foliage and tons of red flowers. They look a little like begonias. However, I have had them a week and their beautiful bright red color is fading to white patches on the petals. Have I overwatered or underwatered them, as I was told at the gardening centre that they require a lot of water. Or are they in too much sun?

Answer 1

Normally when you see white patches on a plant right after putting them out, it is sunscald. This means the nursery did not harden the plants off properly. It is kind of like a sunburn for plants. As long as they are not wilting, they will recover. In the mean time, I would move them to a slightly shadier spot and slowly move them back to the sunnier spot over the course of a week or two. This article will explain more:
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/houseplants/hpgen/move-houseplant-outside.htm