When you mention begonia many gardeners may conjure up an image of a wax leaf begonia or a dragon wing begonia but there are actually 1500 different species and many do well in our gardens.
Wax leaf begonias have been a staple bedding plant in the garden for a long time. The diminutive plant typically grew no taller than 8-10 inches and had small pink, red or white blooms.
They will grow in full sun or deep shade, and as long as they have well-drained soil, they will bloom from frost to frost. In a mild winter, they have been known to come back. Because of their smaller size, some gardeners were bored with them. Newer improved and more vigorous wax leaf begonias started hitting the market a few years ago. 'Big' and 'Whopper' are two names for these vigorous wax begonias, with new varieties competing each year. Slightly larger foliage and larger clusters of blooms on plants that can grow up to 30 inches tall by 24 inches across.
They will grow in sun or shade. There are green and bronze leafed forms and flower color is red or rose.
One of my all-time favorites is the Dragon Wing begonia,
with larger "dragon-winged" shaped leaves, and large clusters of red flowers. I buy a hanging basket plant every spring and put it in a large urn out front. It blooms non-stop until a hard freeze with dappled sunlight all day. It prefers not to have direct afternoon sun, but will do fine in full morning sun with afternoon shade. If you plant it in deep shade, it won't bloom as well. My plant grows about two feet tall and is easily 3 feet across or more. I adore it. Last year when I went to California for the plant trials, they were showcasing a new yellow foliaged form called Canary Wing.
I heard a few local retailers had it this spring, but I was traveling and missed it. It is unique to say the least.
I have always loved tuberous begonias,
which I always purchased in the spring, and enjoyed for a month or so until they died out with the heat--or so I thought. When I was in California and learning about the new plants, one of the growers told me I should do fine outdoors all summer, provided I did the watering--not a sprinkler system, and they should not be in the ground, but in containers. I planted some last year and they did well. This year, I planted a yellow and red one and they have thrived in a large containers under the eave of the house, in the shade.
Here they are in August, still going strong.
They have beautiful flowers, but they have brittle stems--heavy winds or strong sprays of water can cause branches to break. And while they are not drought tolerant, this group of begonias likes to dry out a bit between watering. I don't water mine but two or three times a week, and I try to water the soil, not the foliage.
An easier tuberous begonia that I also love, but couldn't find when I was planting this spring, is the Bolivian begonia.
Usually sold as 'Bonfire' or 'Mandalay Mandarin' they are much more heat tolerant and will take more sun. I have actually planted them in containers that did get the sprinkler system and they did great.
One more group of begonias that I love are the Rex begonias, grown for their interesting foliage.
Although they occasionally produce small pink or white blooms, I grow them for their foliage. All they need is a well drained soil in the shade. 'Escargot', 'Fireworks' and 'Red Kiss' are just a small sampling of varieties.
I have used them in the ground and in containers in the shade, and have actually had several overwinter. They also do well as houseplants provided you don't over water.
If you haven't tried begonias in a while, consider them next spring, or even some as houseplants. What is your favorite?