Better Homes and Gardens (Australia)
Beguiling BEGONIAS
VERSATILITY IN YOUR GARDEN BOTH INDOORS AND OUT COMES BY WAY OF THESE EXCEPTIONAL YET EASY CARE PLANTS
Get the best of both worlds – foliage that dazzles and flowers that enchant. Whatever you need, there’s room for a begonia, be it a sinuous, statuesque cane begonia or a mass of little waxy wonders that turn your beds into blazes of colour. Or, pick between the showy tuberous or elatior hybrids that rival roses for floral flourish. Then there’s the rex with mosaics of intricately patterned and coloured leaves. Indoors or out, these tropical or subtropical treasures have been bred to suit any environment. Here’s how to pick the ones for you.
TUBEROUS
The large eye-catching single, double and often ruffled petals make these the triumph of the flowering begonias. The plants stand upright or trail, so add flair to the front of your border, or make a splash in a basket or pot when the iridescent rainbow of inflorescences pops up from spring into summer. After the blooms fade, foliage follows typical weirdly wonderful begonia form with various shapes and colour combinations.
SEMPERFLORENS
Also known as bedding or wax begonias, these are the hardiest of the bunch, thriving in full sun in cooler regions or in shade
where it’s warmer. Each plant produces a super abundance of flowers during summer of single or double, open-faced flowers in exquisite white or many shades of delicious pinks and reds. They poke out of circles of fat, round, waxy leaves that can be coloured dramatic black or deep purple, shiny bronze, glistening greys or in many luminous shades of green. Mass plant them in a garden bed or in a pot you can bring indoors when it gets cold. Prune spent flowers to encourage more of them as the season progresses.
2 something to look up to A row of hanging baskets li s your garden to a new level, and brightly coloured begonias spilling down the sides will steal the show from their ground-bound rivals. Try the B. Tuberhybrida ‘Apricot Shades’ for a shock of orange that will make your springs and summers sing!
3 on with the show You can mass plant just wax begonias in your garden bed and nothing else and it will look stunning, but if you are going to share the bed with other spring delights, make sure your begonias have front-row seats!