Tuberous Begonias

Article by: Geoff Bryant

If you appreciate plants , Amaryllis Secrets that have no hesitation in boldly stating their presence with huge, almost artificially perfect flowers, , Finding the Best Pond Pumps then tuberous begonias are for you. While some may find them rather too overstated, downright brazen even, if you like colour, , Landscaping, An American Pass Time and plenty of it, with subtlety an option rather than compulsory, then look no further. Flower , Vacation Proofing your Garden ing from late spring, , The history of the gnome. as the days exceed 13 hours long, until well into autumn , Toxic Pollutants & Their Effect on Fish Health when the foliage dies back, these tuberous-rooted perennials , Teak Patio Table - Why You Need One have been extensively hybridised and refined to the point where the larger-flowered forms are nothing short of spectacular. For those with greenhouses , How to Choose the Right Bulbs for Your Spring Flower Garden or a very mild winter , A Couple of Good Places to Buy Lawnmowers climate there are even types that flower , Chainsaws - Caring For Your Chain well into winter, , How to Choose the Right Bulbs for Your Spring Flower Garden if not right through the cooler months.

Description and classificationÃ‚Â and groups

Begonias are among those convenient plants , Working with Landscape Contractors where the proper name is also the common name. The genus is found in the tropics and subtropics, particularly in the Americas, and is made up of around 900 species with 130-odd in cultivation, from which many cultivars and hybrids have been developed. These garden , How to Choose the Right Bulbs for Your Spring Flower forms have been divided into 8 main categories. They are:

1. Cane-like, which have narrow, upright stems with conspicuous leaf nodes and evergreen foliage.

2. Shrub-like, which are bushy plants , Working with Landscape Contractors with branching stems.

3. Thick-stemmed, which resemble the cane-like but with much heavier stems that sometimes form a trunk.

4. Semperflorens, which are the fibrous rooted types usually treated as summer-flowering bedding annuals. , Garden Planning

5. Rhizomatous, which may be evergreen or deciduous and which are often grown as much for their foliage as for their flowers. , A Couple of Good Places to Buy Lawnmowers

6. Rex-cultorum, which are the fancy-leaved Rex begonias that are usually grown as house plants. , Home and Garden Decor

7. Tuberous, which have thickened tuberous roots , Tractors and Their History and which usually die back over winter , Indoor Gardening With Foliage Plants or, in the case of the winter-flowering types, which may be dried off at some other time.

8. Trailing Scandent, which are pendulous, ever-blooming plants , How to Choose the Right Bulbs for Your Spring Flower Garden often with long internodes and which should not be confused with the trailing tuberous begonias. So group seven it is, yet although quite a few begonia species have tuberous roots, , The history of the gnome. when we talk of tuberous begonias we're generally referring to the fancy-flowered group of garden-raised plants , Finding the Best Pond Pumps known as Begonia Ãƒâ€” tuberhybrida. Developed mainly from South American species, they first appeared in Europe in 1867, just three years after the introduction of the most influential of the early parent species, Begonia pearcei. Since that time thousands of hybrids have been raised and we now have tuberous begonias in a wide range of sizes and styles of flower , Finding the Best Pond Pumps and growth habit. There are small- medium- and large-flowered hybrids; they may have single, semi-double or fully rose- or camellia-like double flowers; they may be small and mound-forming, trailing or upright to nearly a metre tall. And while the flowers , Planting a Garden Pond are spectacular, don't ignore the foliage. Because although unlike say the Rex begonias, tuberous begonias are never grown for their foliage alone, their velvety, deep green , Teak Patio Furniture leaves add a rich luxuriance that is the perfect foil to the flowers, , Cold Frame Greenhouse - Maximize The Natural Warmth Of The Sun which would definitely be diminished without the contrast of the leaves.

Cultivation

So, tuberous begonias are beautiful. , Finding the Best Pond Pumps I don't need to tell you that, the pictures speak for themselves, but how do you get the best out of them? Well, as garden , Planning plants they're not for everyone and not for every location, , Hydroponics Gardening - An Introduction To Hydroponics Gardening For Beginners (part 4) Environment though with careful selection and siting you may be surprised at just how well they grow , A Couple of Good Places to Buy Lawnmowers outdoors in many parts of New Zealand. Begonias have a preference for cool, moist conditions and a climate , Planting a Garden Pond that doesn't suffer from extremes of summer , How to Choose the Right Bulbs for Your Spring Flower Garden heat or winter , Indoor Waterfalls cold. They need bright light , Hydroponics Gardening - An Introduction to Hydroponics Gardening for Beginners (part 18) Gray Mould to flower , Home and Garden Decor well but should be out of direct sunlight, especially during the heat , Ladybugs, Ladybugs, Come to My Garden of the day, and they also need shelter from strong winds or the flowers , How to Pick Up the Most Necessary Gardening Tools? may brown at the edges and the soft foliage may be torn or bent. Tuberous begonias flower , Summer Gardening Tips best with humus-rich soil, , Hydroponics Gardening - An Introduction to Hydroponics Gardening for Beginners (part 18) Gray Mould plenty of moisture , Gardening: Plants and Gardens and regular feeding. Given those requirements it's not surprising that many gardeners choose to cultivate tuberous begonias indoors, , Cold Frame Greenhouse - Maximize The Natural Warmth Of The Sun as conservatory, , Finding the Best Pond Pumps shadehouse or cool greenhouse plants. , Finding the Best Pond Pumps However, if you have a bright southerly facing position in your garden , Brilliant Corners: House Plants and Your Health or a shaded spot facing north, then begonias will thrive outdoors , Vacation Proofing your Garden too, particularly in areas that don't often experience drought , Vegetable Gardening in summer. , Hydroponics Gardening - An Introduction To Hydroponics Gardening For Beginners (part 4) Environment Strong sun , Amaryllis Secrets and wind, especially hot , Flowers, An Annual Event dry winds, are the main enemies; light , Tractors and Their History soil that dries out quickly doesn't help either. But in a lightly shaded, sheltered position with soil , Gardening Sentiments that has been thoroughly prepared with plenty of well-rotted compost , Garden Planning tuberous begonias will flower , Butterfly Bush (Buddleia) 'White Ball' from early summer , Planting a Garden Pond to the first frosts. And all that you need do is to stake the tall growers to bamboo , Landscaping, An American Pass Time canes (specialist nurseries stock wire frames), remove any spent flowers, , Chainsaws - Caring For Your Chain keep the soil , 6 Factors that Directly Decide the Landscaping Design of a Home Garden moist and add a little liquid fertiliser every week. If you find that the super-fancy large-flowered forms are simply not tough enough for your garden, , Brilliant Corners: House Plants and Your Health don't give up. Instead try some of the smaller-flowered hybrids. The little Multiflora types, commonly known as Flamboyant Begonias, are very resilient. Grown as massed bedding , Brilliant Corners: House Plants and Your Health or in clusters, they're most commonly seen with bright red flowers, , Finding the Best Pond Pumps which often almost hide the foliage, but also occur in orange and a somewhat weaker yellow-flowered form. Nonstop begonias are crosses between the Multifloras and the larger flowered types. As you'd expect they're of intermediate height and vigour. They flower , Stock Lawn Mower Parts For Greater Availability Of Mowers continuously, even in winter , How To Choose The Right Trees For Your Front Yard Landscaping Ideas if kept indoors, , Gardening Sentiments and are available in a wide range of colours. , The history of the gnome. Nonstops are F1 hybrids so there is no point in saving the seed , Teak Patio Table - Why You Need One and any seedpods should be removed to keep the plants , Abatement and Coping with Challenges in the Environment flowering. Reiger begonias, developed from Begonia Ãƒâ€” hiemalis, are similar. And if open beds , Gardening: Plants and Gardens don't seem to work, consider growing , Vegetable Gardening your begonias in pots , Decorating Outdoor Decks and Patios With Themes so that you can find just the right place , Decorating Outdoor Decks and Patios With Themes for them. The upright types flower , Our History with Blueberries - Reviving Their Home-Grown and Local Farm Status and grow , Summer Gardening Tips well but are rather brittle, necessitating staking. The trailing types, often Begonia boliviensis hybrids, have more flexible, pendulous stems and when grown in hanging baskets they are easy-care plants , Landscaping, An American Pass Time that make a great show. Trailing begonias usually do best in sphagnum-lined wire baskets rather than solid pots, , Indoor Gardening With Foliage Plants their roots , Indoor Waterfalls appreciating the cool moist sphagnum.

Disbudding and deadheading

Begonias have separate male and female flowers. , Teak Patio Furniture Usually one large female flower , Hydroponics Gardening - An Introduction to Hydroponics Gardening for Beginners (part 18) Gray Mould is subtended by two smaller male flowers. , Stock Lawn Mower Parts For Greater Availability Of Mowers Removing the male flowers , Transplanting Tips before they mature will allow the showy female flowers , Vegetable Gardening to reach their full size and will also prevent the development of seedpods that could lessen the plant's vigour. Old flowers , Hydroponics Gardening - An Introduction to Hydroponics Gardening for Beginners (part 18) Gray Mould should be removed once past their best. They snap off easily and doing this not only encourages new blooms to form, it also helps prevent fungal diseases , Stock Lawn Mower Parts For Greater Availability Of Mowers that could develop among the decaying petals.

Pests and diseases

Begonias are neither particularly susceptible to nor resistant to pests. , Organic Hydroponics - Simplified Slugs and snail relish the young shoots and the mature foliage, various caterpillars may chew the foliage, rasping and sap-sucking creatures such as thrips, aphids and mealy bugs may be present, but with a little attention and routine care, pests , Transplanting Tips can usually be stopped before they get out of control. More of a problem are fungal diseases, , Amaryllis Secrets especially soft rots, mildew and botrytis. Damaged stems can quickly become soft, watery and rotten and this may lead to the eventual collapse of the plant. , Summer Gardening Tips Almost inevitably the foliage will develop mildew in late autumnÃ‚Â - it's just part of the winter , Cold Frame Greenhouse - Maximize The Natural Warmth Of The Sun die-back processÃ‚Â - but mildew can also occur during the growing season. , Decorating Outdoor Decks and Patios With Themes Good ventilation goes a long way towards controlling the severity of fungal diseases, , Cold Frame Greenhouse - Maximize The Natural Warmth Of The Sun keeping the foliage and stems reasonably dry also helps, though spraying with a fungicide will probably be necessary too.

Winter care

As flower , Planting a Garden Pond production lessens from mid-autumn, cut back on watering and feeding and allow your begonias to dry off. While the foliage should dry, brown and fall , A Couple of Good Places to Buy Lawnmowers away without too many problems, do keep an eye open for any fungal diseases , Ginseng Benefits that could spread to the tubers. Once the foliage has dried, the tubers may be lifted or removed from their pots , Ginseng Benefits for winter , How To Choose The Right Trees For Your Front Yard Landscaping Ideas storage. This isn't always necessary in mild winter , How To Choose The Right Trees For Your Front Yard Landscaping Ideas areas, but where hard frosts or prolonged wet conditions are likely it's a good idea. The tubers can be stored in barely moist sawdust or any other fairly dry, inert medium, such as damp, shredded newspaper. Replant them (concave side up) in spring , Garden Delights For Midsummer as the new shoots appear. Cover the tubers with a few centimetres of soil, , Waterwise Xeriscaping for an Extraordinary Spring Garden as they sprout roots , How To Choose The Right Trees For Your Front Yard Landscaping Ideas from the tops too. The exceptions to the process are the winter-flowering Begonia Ãƒâ€” hiemalis hybrids, which result from crossing Begonia Ãƒâ€” tuberhybrida with Begonia socotrana, a species from an Indian Ocean island off the caost of Yemen. Widely sold as Reiger or "blush" begonias, these plants , Decorating Outdoor Decks and Patios With Themes start to flower , Indoor Waterfalls from late summer , Abatement and Coping with Challenges in the Environment and will remain in leaf and flower , Landscaping Combo Auto Detailing Business? until spring. , Enjoy Creating and Growing a Sustainable Garden While Feeding Your Family Obviously these plants, , Amaryllis Secrets which are completely intolerant of frost, need a very mild, benign winter , Vegetable Gardening to grow , Gardening: Plants and Gardens outdoors. However, they are very adaptable to indoor , Brilliant Corners: House Plants and Your Health cultivation and are a great choice for winter-flowering house plants , Waterwise Xeriscaping for an Extraordinary Spring Garden that can spend the summer , Vegetable Gardening outdoors in the garden. , Why Patio Benches are a Great Place to Relax and Enjoy

Propagation

There are several ways to propagate tuberous begonias, the method used varying with they type of plant. , How to Pick Up the Most Necessary Gardening Tools?

Seed

Sow bought seed , Planting a Garden Pond to produce F1 hybrids such as the Nonstops or to get a new crop of vigorous young plants. , Ladybugs, Ladybugs, Come to My Garden Begonia seed , Summer Gardening Tips is very fine, dust-like in fact. It's so fine that it doesn't usually come in seed , Summer Gardening Tips packets, where it would be lost in the folds, but in glass , Planning A Butterfly Garden phials that have to be snapped open before sowing. Pelleted seeds , Gardening Sentiments are much easier to handle, thought they are not always readily available. The seed , Organic Hydroponics - Simplified needs warmth and light , Unique Flowers make a memorable gift! to germinate. It should be sown in spring, , Planning A Butterfly Garden uncovered, in heated trays. Keep the seed , How to Pick Up the Most Necessary Gardening Tools? just moist until it germinates. The young seedlings grow , Flowers, An Annual Event quickly and are soon large enough to pot. , How To Choose The Right Trees For Your Front Yard Landscaping Ideas When small they are sensitive to draughts and temperature , Winterberry Holly 'Winter Red' fluctuations and should be kept under cover until spring , Winterberry Holly 'Winter Red' is well settled into early summer. , Indoor Gardening With Foliage Plants Prepare your garden , Abatement and Coping with Challenges in the Environment beds with high-humus compost , Gardening Sentiments and organic , Amaryllis Secrets fertiliser and because the foliage will be tender, plant , Chainsaws - Caring For Your Chain out when the weather , Vacation Proofing your Garden is not too hot , How to Choose the Right Bulbs for Your Spring Flower Garden and sunny.

Division

Mature plants , How to Choose the Right Bulbs for Your Spring Flower Garden have large tubers that divide readily and division is a good way to quickly produce established, sturdy plants. , Home and Garden Decor Divide the tubers in spring , Garden Delights For Midsummer when replanting. They slice easily with a sharp knife but because finding the growing , Landscaping Combo Auto Detailing Business? 'eyes' can be difficult keep your divisions on the large side. To prevent fungal diseases, , Garden Planning dust the cut surfaces with sulphur powder and allow them to dry before planting.

Cuttings

Most tuberous begonias will grow , Stock Lawn Mower Parts For Greater Availability Of Mowers from cuttings and this is an especially good method of building , Decorating Outdoor Decks and Patios With Themes up large stocks of the small-flowered Multiflora types for massed bedding. , Transplanting Tips The fresh spring , Hydroponics Gardening - An Introduction To Hydroponics Gardening For Beginners (part 4) Environment and early summer , Chainsaws - Caring For Your Chain shoots make the best cuttings and will strike very quickly under mild humid conditions. You can continue to take cuttings well into summer , Chainsaws - Caring For Your Chain but unless the new plants , Waterwise Xeriscaping for an Extraordinary Spring Garden can develop reasonably sized tubers before winter , Summer Gardening Tips they will probably not survive until the following spring. , Landscaping, An American Pass Time Like many of the house plant , 6 Factors that Directly Decide the Landscaping Design of a Home Garden begonias, Begonia Ãƒâ€” hiemalis is often raised from leaf cuttings. This involves removing a mature leaf, slicing across its veins and pinning the leaf down on moist soil. , Landscaping Combo Auto Detailing Business? A warm humid environment, , Decorating Outdoor Decks and Patios With Themes such as an enclosed propagation tray, is essential. Also, you should start in spring , Indoor Gardening With Foliage Plants so that the young plants , Gardening Sentiments are well-established before winter. , Vegetable Gardening

Begonia displays

Public gardens , Indoor ing With Foliage Plants often use tuberous begonias in their displays and this can one of the best ways to see a wide range of flower , How to Select a Really Good Water Hose types.

I am a garden , Decorating Outdoor Decks and Patios With Themes book author and horticultural photographer based in Christchurch, New Zealand. I run a stock photo library called Country, Farm , Cold Frame Greenhouse - Maximize The Natural Warmth Of The Sun and Garden , Hydroponics ing - An Introduction to Hydroponics Gardening for Beginners (part 18) Gray Mould (http://www.cfgphoto.com). This article may be re-published provided this information , Landscaping, An American Pass Time is published with it and is clearly visible.

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