Begonia: Types, Care Indoors and Outdoors, Propagation

Begonias are among the most varied plants for home and garden: some cover a flower bed with blooms all summer, others flower on a windowsill in winter, and others are grown for their patterned leaves. Here is a guide to the main types, how to care for them and how to propagate them.

Flowering plants for your home: potted plants and flower baskets.

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Types of begonia

Begonia is one of the largest genera of flowering plants, with around two thousand species from the tropics and subtropics. The French botanist Charles Plumier named it after Michel Bégon, a patron of botany and a governor in the French colonies. Gardeners divide begonias into several groups.

• Tuberous begonias have large single or double flowers resembling roses or camellias. They grow outdoors or on balconies in summer, and the tubers are lifted for winter.
• Wax begonias are compact plants with small flowers for beds, edging and window boxes.
• Rieger (Elatior) begonias are free-flowering indoor plants often given as potted gifts.
• Foliage begonias include rex begonias with colourful patterns, polka dot begonia with silver spots and others.

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Care in a pot

• Light. Bright but indirect; strong midday sun scorches the leaves.
• Watering. When the top 1–2 cm of soil is dry. Water the soil, not the leaves: wet foliage invites powdery mildew and rot.
• Humidity. Begonias like moist air, but do not mist the leaves; stand the pot on a tray of wet pebbles instead.
• Temperature. Around 18–22 °C, away from draughts and cold windowsills.
• Feeding. Every 2 weeks during growth and flowering with a fertiliser for flowering plants.

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Begonias in the garden

Wax and tuberous begonias go outside into beds or window boxes once the frosts are over, in late May. They like partial shade, loose fertile soil and regular watering without waterlogging. Start tubers indoors from March, and in autumn, when the top growth yellows or is touched by frost, lift them, dry them and store them somewhere cool and dry.

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Propagation

• Stem cuttings. Root an 8–10 cm tip cutting in water or moist compost.
• Leaf cuttings. Foliage begonias can be propagated from leaf cuttings or leaf sections laid on moist compost.
• Dividing tubers. In spring, cut a large tuber so that each piece has a bud.

Common problems

• White coating on the leaves is powdery mildew: remove affected leaves, improve air flow and keep the foliage dry.
• Dry leaf edges mean the air is too dry or the sun too strong.
• No flowers usually means too little light, too much nitrogen or a tired plant after a long bloom; see “Why is my begonia not flowering”.

Safety

Begonias contain insoluble oxalates, especially in the tubers and roots, so they are harmful to cats and dogs. Keep pots out of pets’ reach. More plants to keep away from animals: “Houseplants toxic to pets and children”.

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FAQ

Should I mist my begonia?

Better not: water on the leaves causes spots and fungal diseases. Raise humidity in other ways.

How long does an indoor begonia live?

Rieger begonias are often treated as seasonal plants, but with good care and pruning they last several years. Foliage begonias are perennials.

Author: Maria Svitlovir

Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.

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