Common name: Begonia
Family: Begoniaceae, Begonia
Height x width: 6-18" x 6-12"
Growth rate: slow
Foliage: green, bronze or red; glossy, ovate to oval, alternate
Flowers: pink, red or white shades; few-flowered in axils, staminate and pistillate flowers on same plant
Hardiness: annual
Soil: well-drained, moist, fertile
Light: prefers shade, tolerates sun in zones 3-5 or if kept moist
Pests and problems: damping-off of seedlings, botrytis blight, leaf spots, stem rot, powdery mildew, mealybugs, thrips
Landscape habit, uses: bedding in front of border, containers, space 6" apart
Other interest: named after M. Begon (1638-1710)--Governor of French Canada and patron of botany, many hybrids (usually F1) of several So. American species
Other culture: keep moist
Propagation: seeds (1-2 million per oz.) sown 4-6 months before planting out, also leaf or stem cuttings later in season
Species:
semperflorens-cultorum (sim-per-floor' ens cull-tore' um)--Waxleaf,
Fibrous-rooted Begonia; name from semperflorens--everblooming, cultorum--of
gardeners refering to long bloom through frost
Cultivars: (of semperflorens-cultorum), those marked *
are most commonly seen
| Cultivars, other taxa | height, in. | flowers | foliage |
| Ambassador Hybrids | 8-10 | mix | green |
| Ambra Hybrids | 6-8 | various | bronze |
| Aristo Hybrids | 6-8 | mix | bronze |
| 'Ball Red' | 6-8 | bright scarlet | green |
| 'Bicola' | 6-8 | white, red margins | green |
| Bingo Hybrids | 8-10 | various | bronze |
| 'Brandy' | 6-8 | clear pink | bronze, Cocktail Hybrid |
| Charm Hybrids | 8-10 | pink, white | green |
| *Cocktail Hybrids | 6-8 | various | bronze, good in pots |
| Coco Hybrids | 6-8 | various | bronze |
| Danica Hybrids | 12-18 | rose, scarlet | bronze |
| 'Derby' | 6-8 | white, pink edge | green |
| Encore Hybrids | 10-12 | various | green and bronze |
| Excel Hybrids | 6-8 | mix | green and bronze |
| Frilly Dilly Hybrids | 8-10 | scarlet, pink, ruffled | green |
| 'Gin' | 6-8 | bright rose-pink | bronze, Cocktail Hybrid |
| Glamour Hybrids | 8-10 | various | green |
| Harmony Hybrids | 6-8 | various | bronze, tolerate heat, rain |
| 'Linda' | 6-8 | rich rose | green |
| Lotto Hybrids | 6-8 | vibrant mix, large | green |
| Olympia Hybrids | 6-8 | mix | green |
| Options Hybrids | 6-8 | mix | green or bronze |
| Organdy Hybrids | 6-8 | mix | green, 20% bronze |
| 'Othello' | 8-10 | scarlet-orange | bronze |
| Party Hybrids | 8-10 | red, rose pink | green, large flowers |
| Pizazz Hybrids | 8-10 | various | green |
| Prelude Hybrids | 6-8 | various | green, tolerate heat, rain |
| Rio Hybrids | 8-10 | various | bronze, early |
| 'Rum' | 6-8 | white, rose edge | bronze, Cocktail Hybrid |
| 'Scarlanda' | 6-8 | deep red | green |
| 'Scarletta' | 6-8 | bright scarlet red | green |
| Senator Hybrids | 6-8 | various | bronze |
| Stara Hybrids | 12-18 | various | green, early |
| Super Olympia Hybrids | 6-8 | various | green, earlier than Olympia |
| Tausendschon Hybrids: Thousand Wonder's | |||
| Thousand Wonder's Hybrids | 6-8 | red, rose, white | green |
| Victory Hybrids | 6-8 | various | green and bronze |
| 'Viva' | 6-8 | white | green |
| 'Vodka' | 6-8 | bright scarlet | bronze, Cocktail Hybrid |
| 'Whiskey' | 6-8 | pure white | bronze, Cocktail Hybrid |
Return to HGPO course | PSS123 course.