Any range that is comfortable for people is fine. Most cane-like begonias are not fussy about temperature or humidity. Cane-like begonias are grown for both foliage, which sometimes is spotted or textured, and flowers, usually large, cascading clusters of white, pink, red, or orange, for a large part of the year. Others remain short enough for indoor culture. With optimum care, some cultivars can reach six feet or more in height in a container, as much as 15 feet or so in the ground in mild winter areas.

The leaves and flowers arise from the joints. Cane-like begonias have long stems with slightly swollen joints (“nodes”)-they resemble bamboo. Cane-like BegoniasĬane-like begonias have tough, bamboo-like stems and are prized for their strikingly patterned leaves, and many feature attractive and fragrant flowers as well. For this reason, seeds are usually started indoors about 12 weeks before the last expected frost. They can also be planted from seeds, though the plants are quite slow-growing at first, and it can take several months for them to mature to flowering plants. Wax begonias are normally planted in the spring from bedding flats or potted plants started in a greenhouse environment. The reasons for this heavy use are obvious-they’re durable, ever-blooming plants that provide sweeping color in single or double blooms. Innumerable flats of these sturdy plants are poked into the soil every spring to create lush beds of flowers. Wax begonia is one of the most popular bedding plants in landscaping. These fibrous-rooted plants have a compact, bushy mounded shape with flesh stems, dark green or bronze waxy leaves, and loose clusters of flowers that bloom all summer and into fall. The wax begonia group, categorized as Begonia x semperflorensor Semperflorens Cultorum Group, comprises varieties used primarily as bedding annuals, though they are technically warm-weather perennials. The genus was named in honor of Michel Bégon (1638-1710), a French amateur botanist who collected begonias from while he was stationed in Santo Domingo with the French navy. The common name, wax begonia, refers to the waxy sheen of the leaves. Semperflorens Begoniasīegonia semperflorens-cultorum was named for its long bloom period, from semperflorens, meaning ‘ever-blooming’. Most varieties available in garden centers or though catalogs are hybrids with complex parentage, but all share the same growing requirements. Tuberous begonia species are native to tropical South America and southern Africa. They are often used as container plants on patios and porches, in hanging baskets, and as bedding plants. Tuberous begonias bloom throughout the summer, thriving in shady spots where few other plants with long bloom periods and showy flowers can grow. Their petals may have margins, crests or blotches of contrasting color. Red, orange, yellow, white, salmon and pink blooms may be single or double and may be plain, ruffled or toothed. Tuberous begonias are popular for their beautiful flowers that come in a variety of colors and forms. The flowers remain in bloom for most of summer and into fall, requiring only minimal maintenance when planted in the correct location. Tuberous varieties grow from a swollen root tuber, which stores energy and nutrients for the plant through the summer growth period. Tuberous begonias (Begonia tuberosa) add bright color and attractive green foliage to shady, well-drained areas of the garden. In this article we discuss the most common varieties of Begonia. Among the thousands of available varieties of begonia, almost 95% require easy care. Begonias are grown as annual flowers, filling space between perennials or adding life to decks and patios in pots. Many begonias are suited best to outdoor culture, and are generally grown from underground root structures referred to tubers.

Wax begonia colors