#Wax begonia plants how to
#Wax begonia plants full

Rain and wind can damage the leaves and delicate flowers. Tuberous begonias are best planted in hanging baskets in a protected location. Begonias need well drained soil or they will easily rot.

#Wax begonia plants full

But with new heat and sun tolerant varieties, such as ‘Whopper’, many grow fine in full sun. Traditionally begonias grow best in a shady, moist environment. Some gardeners say the leaves taste like rhubarb. The leaves are high in vitamin C and the stems of tuberous begonias. Although grown mostly for show, begonias have also been used medicinally to disinfect wounds, stop swelling and relieve tooth aches. There are trailing and upright types of each kind begonia group. Tuberous begonias grow from bulbs producing brightly colored, dramatic flowers. Rhizomatous begonias, such as Rex begonias, have insignificant flowers, but showy leaves. Angel wing begonias have colorful leaves and are popular. Fibrous rooted begonias, such as the wax begonia are common in garden centers.

There are basically three different types of begonias. Gardeners loved the wide variety of flower and leaf shapes, colors and sizes. Once there, it quickly became popular for its ease in growing and breeding.

But it’s only been grown in Europe since the 1700s. It was discovered by the Franciscan monk, Charles Plumier, who named it after his favorite botanist, Michel Begon. This common flower origi nated in Central and South American. ‘Whopper Series’ is a new sun-tolerant wax begonia that blooms as well in full sun as shade in our region and can grow to 24 inches tall.Įxcerpted from my book, New England Getting Started Garden Guide. The ‘Big Series’ features larger flowers and plants with bronze or green leaves. The ‘Ambassador Series’ begonia features a compact, early flowering mix of red, pink and white flowering plants. They look best planted together in masses to create a flowering, ground cover effect. In the garden, plant wax begonias under trees or in front of shady flower or shrub borders to brighten up a dark area. Hang the baskets where they get some sun and away from the roof edge where they might get drown in water during a storm. The small plants flower quickly and never get too large for their container. Wax begonias are often seen as the classic hanging basket or container plant. Watch for slugs and snails on the foliage during wet weather and set up traps or spread iron phosphate organic baits to protect your plants. Fertilize monthly with an organic plant food.ĭeadhead spent flowers on your begonia plants and remove any rotting stems if they get overwatered.

Water more frequently when grown in hanging baskets or containers. Overwatered begonia stems and roots can often rot during our humid, sometimes rainy summers. Space plants 8 inches apart in beds and closer together in containers. Plant seedlings in well-drained, moist soil in a part sun or shade location after all danger of frost has passed. Ideally they will get a few hours of morning sun to flower best. Although they grow well in shade, too much shade will inhibit flowering. While you can grow wax begonias from seed started indoors 12 weeks before your last frost date, most home gardeners prefer to buy transplants from the local garden center. I’ll cover those in the bulb section of this book. They will continue flowering in a sunny window.Īnother popular type of begonia for gardens is the tuberose begonia. Move begonias indoors to grow as a houseplant. This low growing plant will flower right up to frost. Not only are the flowers attractive in shades of white, pink, and red, but some varieties have red or bronze-tinged, glossy leaves making them an attractive plant even when they aren’t in flower. They’re one of the few annual plants that flower well in part shade. The wax-leafed begonia is probably the most popular annual for shade gardens and container growing.

#Wax begonia plants how to

Learn how to grow wax begonias including information on the different varieties.īegonias bloom summer until frost in colors such as white, pink, coral, salmon, and redīegonias are a broad group of shade-loving flowers.