The National Garden Bureau has included the begonia in its “Year of” category for 2016. Chosen for its adaptability, popularity, genetic diversity and versatility, nearly all are easy to grow. Dozens of varieties are available in spring at garden centers throughout the country. Some are grown for their attractive leaves while others don’t shine until they show their large, fluffy flowers. Some hybrids even offer both.
Diane Blazek, Executive Director of the National Garden Bureau, says it’s high time the spotlight shone on a plant so many think of as grandma’s begonia. “There has been a lot of new breeding work over the years…,” she said. “There is certainly something to suit everyone, including the begonias like Rex that are grown just for foliage.”
The type we’re most familiar with is the wax begonia (Begonia semperflorens-cultorum): diminutive, tight clusters of green or bronze waxy leaves with smallish flowers ranging in color from white to red. Versatility is the wax begonia’s strong suit—it will thrive in deep shade or bright sun, remaining compact and colorful until frost turns it to mush in the fall.
Tuberous Hybrids
While some gardeners have recently discovered the perks of growing wax begonias, others are smitten by the tuberous hybrids with blooms that rival roses for their petal-packed beauty. And like roses, they come in every color but blue.
Tuberous begonias plants can be found at most garden centers in late spring. They are grown from tubers, a flattened-out version of a bulb. If the varieties offered at your garden center aren’t enough to set your heart racing, you can start your own, but they take lots of time and patience before they dazzle you with flowers. According to Blackmore and Langdon’s, world-renown begonia specialists, a good rule of thumb is to plan on four months after planting tubers to see flowers. I planted mine in mid-March, so my begonias won’t be blooming until sometime in July.
Mail-order sources for fibrous begonias typically don’t ship the tubers until March, so holding over your own plants from the previous year can buy time and earlier blooms. An excellent source of detailed information about storing and starting the tubers can be found on Brad’s Begonia World site.
