TEST MODE

Begonia
[bah-GO-nyah]

Annual (usually grown as an annual near you) in the Begoniaceae Family
 

About Begonias

 

Begonias are a profusely-flowering, low maintenance option for the garden or containers that require very little care and pack a huge punch.

 

Keep begonias’ soil moist but not soaked, check on your variety’s light preferences (depending on the variety, begonias will produce spectacular blooms in full shade all the way to full sun), and watch out for botrytis blight, a fungal leaf infection that plagues these plants in the garden. 

 

Begonias will bloom from spring to your first frost without any deadheading needed, but you can always pinch off old blooms or do some light pruning of the stems to promote a more incredible show.

 

Some (tuberous) varieties can be dug up in the fall, stored, and replanted the following spring, which makes them a great investment, and all can be potted and brought inside to spend their winters as houseplants if you just can’t live without them between gardening seasons.

 

Begonias are members of a genus (Begonia!) containing about 1400 different subtropical and tropical perennial flowering plants often grown seasonally in cooler climates.

 

Those include fibrous-rooted begonias like the wax begonias; cane stem types (angelwing begonias), characterized by their tall stems; and hairy begonias, which have felt-like leaves. Rhizomatous begonias include the rex begonias, grown for their brightly coloured and patterned leaves.

 

Rieger begonias, tuberous begonias, and whopper begonias are also popular in nurseries.

 

Pros

  • Offer tons of color, height, and green or bronze foliage options
  • Low maintenance
  • Can tolerate full shade to full sun, depending on the variety
  • Do well in containers and planted in the ground

Cons

  • Needs extra water in extremely hot weather
  • Susceptible to botrytis, a fungal leaf disease - pick these leaves off and put in landscape waste collection (do not compost diseased plant material) / solution: water the soil, not the foliage
  • Cannot “overwinter” in the Chicago area (will need to be dug up and stored indoors or sacrificed to the snow gods in the fall)
  • Will drop their leaves if the soil is too wet or too dry for an extended length of time
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 8 - 24 inches tall.
Moisture Tolerance Dry - Medium: Let dry out a bit between waterings.
Tags Annual, Annual in Chicago, Attracts Birds, Attracts Butterflies, Attracts Hummingbirds, Attracts Pollinators, Deciduous, Dry, Filler, Grown For Attractive Foliage, Medium, Partial Shade, Shade Tolerant, Showy Flowers, Tender Perennial
Bloom Period June to First Frost
 

Rankings
 

Related Articles
 

More Info from Experts

Commonly Planted with...

Impatiens, Torenia, Caladium, Coleus, Fern, Black Mondo Grass, Silver Nickel Vine, Fiber Optic Grass.

Photos of This with...

Dusty Miller
 

Begonia Available Soon

Dragon Wing Red Begonia
(Begonia 'Bepared' DRAGON WING RED)
From $22.42

Surefire Rose Begonia
(Begonia x benariensis 'Surefire Rose')
From $33.75

Surefire Red Begonia
(Begonia x benariensis 'Surefire Red')
From $33.75

Bada Boom Scarlet
(Begonia 'Bada Boom Scarlet')
From $21.08

Bada Bing Scarlet Begonia
(Begonia 'Bada Bing Scarlet')
From $21.08

Bada Bing Pink Begonia
(Begonia 'Bada Bing Pink')
From $21.08

Bada Bing White Begonia
(Begonia 'Bada Bing White')
From $21.08

Bada Bing Mix Begonia
(Begonia 'Bada Bing Mix')
From $21.08

Bada Boom Rose Begonia
(Begonia 'Bada Boom Rose')
From $21.08

Bada Boom Begonia Mix
(Begonia 'Bada Boom Mix')
From $21.08

Bada Boom White Begonia
(Begonia 'Bada Boom White')
From $21.08

Non-Stop Pink Tuberous Begonia
(Begonia x tuberhybrida 'Non-Stop Pink')
From $49.50

Bada Bing Rose Begonia
(Begonia 'Bada Bing Rose')
From $21.08

Dragon Wing Pink Begonia
(Begonia 'Dragon Wing Pink')
From $22.42
Fragrant Falls Mix Begonia
(Begonia 'Fragrant Falls Mix')
From $22.42
Non-Stop Deep Red Tuberous Begonia
(Begonia x tuberhybrida 'Non-Stop Deep Red')
From $49.50

Non-Stop Deep Salmon Tuberous Begonia
(Begonia x tuberhybrida 'Non-Stop Deep Salmon')
From $49.50

Non-Stop Orange Tuberous Begonia
(Begonia x tuberhybrida 'Non-Stop Orange')
From $49.50
Non-Stop Rose Tuberous Begonia
(Begonia x tuberhybrida 'Non-Stop Rose')
From $49.50

Non-Stop White Tuberous Begonia
(Begonia x tuberhybrida 'Non-Stop White')
From $49.50
Non-Stop Yellow Tuberous Begonia
(Begonia x tuberhybrida 'Non-Stop Yellow')
From $49.50
Santa Cruz Begonia
(Begonia boliviensis 'Santa Cruz')
From $60.30

Dibs Rothko Rex Begonia
(Begonia 'Dibs Rothko')
From $67.50

Big Red Green Leaf Begonia
(Begonia 'Big Red Green Leaf')
From $41.25
Big Rose Green Leaf Begonia
(Begonia 'Big Rose Green Leaf')
From $41.25
Canary Wings Red Begonia
(Begonia 'Canary Wings Red')
From $22.42

Sparks Will Fly Begonia
(Begonia 'Sparks Will Fly')
From $62.25
Solenia Assorted Begonia
(Begonia 'Solenia Assorted')
From $25.13

Unstoppable Upright Salmon Begonia
(Begonia 'Unstoppable Upright Salmon')
From $62.25

Shadow King Cool White Rex Begonia
(Begonia 'Shadow King Cool White')
From $84.75
Begonia Big Red with Dark Leaf
(Begonia 'Big Red with Dark Leaf')
From $41.25
Begonia Big Rose with Dark Leaf
(Begonia 'Big Rose with Dark Leaf')
From $41.25

Rex Shadow King Cherry Mint Begonia
(Begonia rex-cultorum 'Shadow King Cherry Mint')
From $84.75

Double Up White Begonia
(Begonia semperflorens 'Double Up White')
From $60.30

Double Delight Primrose Begonia
(Begonia 'Double Delight Primrose')
From $60.30

Double Delight Blush Rose Begonia
(Begonia 'Double Delight Blush Rose)
From $60.30

Double Up Pink Begonia
(Begonia semperflorens 'Double Up Pink')
From $60.30

Double Up Red Begonia
(Begonia semperflorens 'Double Up Red')
From $60.30
Bossa Nova Orange Begonia
(Begonia boliviensis 'Bossa Nova Orange')
From $45.75
I'Conia Portofino Hot Orange Begonia
(Begonia boliviensis 'I'Conia Portofino Hot Orange')
From $62.25
Cocktail Tequila Begonia
(Begonia 'Cocktail Tequila')
From $40.50
Big White Green Leaf Begonia
(Begonia x benariensis 'Big White Green Leaf')
From $41.25
Shadow King Pink Rex Begonia
(Begonia rex-cultorum 'Shadow King Pink')
From $84.75
I'Conia Portofino Hot Coral Begonia
(Begonia x tuberhybrida 'I'Conia Portofino Hot Coral')
From $62.25
Unbelievable First Kiss Begonia
(Begonia 'Unbelievable First Kiss')
From $62.25
Rieger Yellow Begonia
(Begonia x hiemalis 'Rieger Yellow')
From $76.50
Rieger Pink Begonia
(Begonia x hiemalis 'Rieger Pink')
From $76.50
Rieger Orange Begonia
(Begonia x hiemalis 'Rieger Orange')
From $76.50
Funky Orange Begonia
(Begonia 'Funky Orange')
From $60.30
Funky Pink Begonia
(Begonia 'Funky Pink')
From $60.30

Funky Red Begonia
(Begonia 'Funky Red')
From $60.30
Bossa Nova Pure White Begonia
(Begonia boliviensis 'Bossa Nova Pure White')
From $60.30
Solenia Yellow Rieger Begonia
(Begonia x hiemalis 'Solenia Yellow')
From $27.65

Solenia Chocolate Orange Rieger Begonia
(Begonia x hiemalis 'Solenia Chocolate Orange')
From $27.65

Solenia Apricot Rieger Begonia
(Begonia x hiemalis 'Solenia Apricot')
From $27.65
Non-Stop Hybrid Tuberous Begonia Mix
(Begonia x tuberhybrida 'Non-Stop Mix')
From $45.75

Jurassic Heartbeat Rex Begonia
(Begonia rex-cultorum 'Jurassic Heartbeat')
From $80.55

Jurassic Cherry Spike Rex Begonia
(Begonia rex-cultorum 'Jurassic Cherry Spike')
From $80.55
Compact Double Apricot Begonia
(Begonia 'Compact Double Apricot')
From $22.42
Frivola Pink Begonia
(Begonia 'Frivola Pink')
From $60.30
Big Pink Green Leaf Begonia
(Begonia 'Big Pink Green Leaf)
From $41.25
Shadow King Sherbet Rex Begonia
(Begonia rex-cultorum 'Shadow King Sherbet')
From $84.75
Bewitched Pink Rex Begonia
(Begonia rex-cultorum ' Bewitched Pink')
From $67.50
Curly Cherry Mint Rex Begonia
(Begonia rex-cultorum 'Curly Cherry Mint')
From $67.50
Dibs Tuxedo Rex Begonia
(Begonia rex-cultorum 'Dibs Tuxedo')
From $67.50

'Surefire Cherry Cordial' Whopper Begonia
(Begonia x benariensis 'Surefire Cherry Cordial' )
From $33.75

'Surefire White' Whopper Begonia
(Begonia x benariensis 'Surefire White')
From $33.75
I'Conia Scentiment Peachy Keen Begonia
(Begonia 'I'Conia Scentiment Peachy Keen')
From $62.25
Jurassic Pink Splash Begonia
(Begonia rex-cultorum 'Jurassic Pink Splash')
From $80.55
Cocktail Brandy Pink Begonia
(Begonia 'Cocktail Brandy Pink')
From $40.50
Cocktail Vodka Red Begonia
(Begonia 'Cocktail Vodka Red')
From $40.50
Cocktail Whiskey White Begonia
(Begonia 'Cocktail Whiskey White')
From $40.50
Jurassic Snowfall Rex Begonia
(Begonia rex-cultorum 'Jurassic Snowfall' )
From $80.55
Super Olympia Pink Begonia
(Begonia 'Super Olympia Pink')
From $40.50
Super Olympia Red Begonia
(Begonia 'Super Olympia Red')
From $40.50
Super Olympia Rose Begonia
(Begonia 'Super Olympia Rose')
From $40.50
Super Olympia White Begonia
(Begonia 'Super Olympia White')
From $40.50

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