- Begonias: origin and characteristics
- Begonia species and varieties
- Buy Begonias
- Plant Begonias
- Propagating Begonias
- Caring for Begonias
- Winter Begonias
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Begonias produce magnificent flowers with the right care. Here you can find out everything about planting and caring for begonias with tips for a particularly long flowering period.
You've probably heard of begonias (Begonia) with their crooked leaves. And you have probably seen the plants many times or even owned a begonia yourself. But do you already know the diversity of this plant genus, which is one of the most species-rich in the world? Let yourself be surprised and immerse yourself in the world of begonias.
Begonias: origin and characteristics
For a long time, the begonia was considered old-fashioned and dusty. In recent years, however, the versatile begonias have been rediscovered and their stylishly patterned leaves now adorn many a student apartment. You can get a wonderful impression of the diversity in the world of begonias in the gardens of Hohenheim Castle. The greenhouses of the University near Stuttgart house one of the world's largest collections of begonia with over 250 different species.
If you examine a begonia leaf a little more closely, you will quickly discover the most important characteristic of the begonia: the leaf is not symmetrical. The species-rich genus of begonias (Begonia) belongs to the sloping leaf family (Begoniaceae). There is only one other species in this family, so you can be fairly certain that you are looking at a begonia when you see a crooked plant with fleshy leaves and stems. The begonias mostly come from the humid rainforests and mountain forests of the tropics and subtropics and are particularly widespread in South America. Unfortunately, for this reason, they are not up to our Central European winters, even if they are actually perennial. But overwintering is worthwhile, because their flowers are a real splendor. The only drawback of the interesting plants: The flowers are only fragrant in very few species.
Begonia species and varieties
There are well over 1000 begoniasdifferent types and new ones are constantly being discovered. But only some of these can be found as ornamental plants in our country. Nevertheless, the range is also huge in this country and ranges from begonias with particularly impressive foliage to small-flowered begonias to begonias with magnificent, large flowers. We have collected the most beautiful begonia species and varieties for you in this article.
Hardy Begonia Varieties
Begonias are not used to any sub-zero temperatures in their countries of origin. Only a few species such as the Japanese slate (Begonia grandis) survive the cold season outdoors with the right protection. Learn more about two hardy begonia varieties in this article.
Ice Begonias
Ice Begonias (Begonia semperflorens) are a true flowering miracle. Their bright colors appear from April or May and last until the plant freezes to death in winter. If you keep the plant in a pot and overwinter it indoors, you will be delighted by its willingness to bloom even over the winter. You can find more information about ice begonias and selected varieties here.
Elatior Begonias
The Eliator begonias are a colorful bunch (Begonia x hiemalis). They are a group of hybrids from different Begonia species and are extremely floriferous. Since they quickly get too cold below 16 °C, they are the perfect houseplants. The beautiful flowers are often filled in a wide variety of shades. If you're interested in these refreshing houseplants, learn more about Elatior begonias here.
Buy Begonias
The hardest thing about buying begonias is deciding on the right variety - everything else usually takes care of itself. So that you don't make any mistakes when buying, we have summarized the most important things to consider when buying a begonia.
Plant Begonias
As plants of tropical forests, begonias are relatively sensitive to the sun. The ice begonia alone also like it sunnier. The basic requirement for a successful planting is that you put the begonia in a suitable place. Some of the plants also prefer not to go outside at all, but are only suitable as houseplants in this country. With most other species it is important to remember that they do not tolerate frosts either and dug them up again for the winterneed to be.
Use nutrient-rich garden soil, preferably with a good proportion of compost, for planting begonias. Find out what else to consider when planting begonias here.
Propagating Begonias
The propagation of begonias is very easy with cuttings. Cut off a shoot about ten centimeters long from the plant. If you want to pull several cuttings at once, then it makes sense to sacrifice an adult plant for it. Then this is gone, but numerous offspring sprout again. You should now remove the leaves from the lower area of the cut shoot so that only two leaves remain at the tip of the shoot. Now you can put the cutting in a prepared container with garden soil.
Make sure that the soil does not have a pH value above 7 and is always nice and moist. It should be neutral or slightly acidic. Alternatively, you can also grow the cuttings in a darkened glass of water and plant them later. In a bright place at room temperature, begonias take root extremely quickly, usually within a week. The best time to take cuttings is after flowering, which proves difficult with some species like Ice Begonia, which are almost always flowering. Basically, cuttings can be grown all year round.
Even leaf cuttings can be easily grown without digging up a whole plant. This works best for species with fleshy leaves. Cut individual leaves from the mother plant and place them in a prepared planter. It's a good idea to put on a clear plastic bag to increase humidity. Here is a guide on how to build a mini greenhouse.
Expert tip: Large specimens of tuber begonias (Begonia × tuberhybrida) can also be easily propagated by dividing the tuber. Dig it up and, if it's not too small, cut it in half. Now you can pot them up again and enjoy two begonias. Spring is ideal for this measure, before you put the overwintered tuber outdoors again.
Propagation of begonias at a glance:
- Cutting:
- After flowering or possible all year round Approx. Cut a 10 cm long shoot (shorter shoots are also possible for small species)
- Lower leavesremove
- Put the shoot in moist soil or a darkened glass of water
- Rooting in a warm place within a few days
- Leaf cutting:
- Especially suitable for fleshy species
- Cut individual leaves from mother plant
- Put the leaf in a container with moist soil
- Put on clear plastic bag to increase humidity
- Put in a warm place
- Division:
- Tube Division of Tuber Begonia
- After overwintering, divide the tuber in half
- Plant bulb parts out
Caring for Begonias
Begonias turn out to be very grateful and easy-care plants. You don't have a lot of effort with the versatile plants. Begonias even clean themselves by simply dropping dead flowers. A pruning is also superfluous with the begonias. You can only use the secateurs just before wintering.
Watering begonias correctly
Water the tropical begonias regularly, about twice a week. Sometimes it's difficult to find the right balance between too much and too little. This becomes a small challenge, especially on hot days, because waterlogging can quickly lead to root rot. Also keep in mind that when there is a lot of wind, plants evaporate more water and therefore need water more frequently in these conditions. Only in winter should you water significantly less. With tuberous begonias you can even do without watering after pruning over the winter.
Fertilize begonias correctly
In order to produce a lot of flowers, the begonias need sufficient food. From spring you can regularly apply a liquid begonia fertilizer. Better for the environment and far less expensive is a gift of manure, compost or organic long-term fertilizer in spring and early summer. Our Plantura organic flower fertilizer is ideal here. You should gradually stop fertilizing from late summer, because begonias do not need fertilizer over the winter.
Winter Begonias
Begonias are not annuals, even if they unfortunately often end up on the compost in autumn. Most begonias are actually quite easy on theto bring winter. Bulbous begonias, for example, only need a cool room without frost - it doesn't even have to be bright. Most indoor begonias such as Eliator begonias, on the other hand, can easily be kept indoors over the winter. Even ice begonias can be overwintered quite well in a bright room at around 16 °C. Find out more details on how to overwinter your begonia successfully here.