Begonias: Expert Tips on Planting & Caring for

With the right care, begonias produce magnificent flowers. Here you can find out everything about planting and caring for begonias with tips for a particularly long flowering period.

You have probably heard of the begonias (Begonia) heard 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 even many student apartments. You can get a wonderful impression of the diversity in the world of begonias in the gardens of Hohenheim Palace. The greenhouses of the University of Stuttgart are home to one of the world's largest collections of begonia with over 250 different species.

If you inspect a begonia leaf a little more closely, you will quickly discover the most important of the distinguishing features of the begonia: the leaf is not symmetrical. The species-rich genus of begonias (Begonia) belongs to the slate family (Begoniaceae). Only one other species is representative of this family, so you can be relatively certain that In a crooked plant with fleshy leaves and stems, you see a begonia in front of you to have. Most of the begonias come from the humid rain 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 its flowers are a real splendor. The only drawback of the interesting plants: The flowers are only fragrant in very few species.

Species and varieties of begonia

The begonias include more than 1000 different species and new ones are constantly being discovered. But only a few of these can also be found here as ornamental plants. Nevertheless, the offer is huge in this country too and ranges from begonias with particularly impressive foliage to small-flowered begonia species to begonias with magnificent, large flowers. The most beautiful Species and varieties of begonia we have collected for you in this article.

Hardy begonia varieties

Begonias are not used to sub-zero temperatures from their countries of origin. Only a few species such as the Japanese slate (Begonia grandis) with the right protection can also survive the cold season outdoors. More to two hardy begonia varieties learn from this article.

Ice begonias

Ice Begonias (Begonia semperflorens) are a real blooming 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 spend the winter in the house, you will even be delighted with its flowering pleasure over the winter. You can find more information about the ice begonias and selected varieties here.

Elatior begonias

The eliator begonias are a mixed bag (Begonia x hiemalis). They are a group of hybrids from different species of begonia and are extraordinarily floriferous. Since it quickly gets too cold for them below 16 ° C, they are the perfect house plants. The beautiful flowers are often filled in a wide variety of shades. If you are interested in these refreshing houseplants, you can find out more about Elatior begonias here.

Buy begonias

The hardest thing about buying begonias is deciding which variety is right for you - everything else will usually come off by itself. So that you still do not make a mistake 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 begonias 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 prefer not to go outside at all, but are only suitable as indoor plants in this country. With most of the other species, it should be remembered that they too cannot tolerate frosts and that they have to be dug up again for wintering.

Use nutrient-rich garden soil for planting begonias, preferably with a good amount of compost soil. What else is there with Plants of begonias to be observed, you can find out here.

Propagate begonias

The propagation of begonias is very easy with cuttings. Cut off a stalk from the plant about four inches long. If you want to pull several cuttings at once, then it makes sense to sacrifice an adult plant for them. Then it will be gone, but numerous offspring will sprout again. You should now remove the leaves from the cut off shoot in the lower area 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 that it is always nice and moist. It should be neutral or slightly acidic. Alternatively, you can grow the cuttings in a darkened water glass and plant them later. In a bright place with room temperature, begonias root extremely quickly, usually within a week. The best time to cut cuttings is after flowering, which is difficult with some species such as ice begonias because they flower as well as ever. But basically, cuttings can be grown all year round.

Leaf cuttings can also be easily pulled without having to clear an entire plant. This works best on species with fleshy leaves. Cut off individual leaves from the mother plant and place them in a prepared planter. It is advisable to put a transparent plastic bag on to increase the humidity. Here are instructions on how to build one Mini greenhouse.

Expert tip: Large specimens of tuberous begonias (Begonia × tuberhybrida) can also be propagated well by dividing the tuber. Dig this up and divide it in half, if it's not too small. Now you can repot them and enjoy two begonias. Spring is ideal for this measure, before you put the overwintered tuber outside again.

Begonias multiply at a glance:

• Cutting:
• Possible after flowering or all year round
• Cut an approx. 10 cm long shoot (shorter shoots are also possible for small species)
• Remove the lower leaves
• Put the shoot in moist soil or a darkened water glass
• Rooting in a warm place within a few days
• Leaf cutting:
• Particularly suitable for meaty species
• Cut off individual leaves from the mother plant
• Put the leaf in a container with moist soil
• Cover with a clear plastic bag to increase the humidity
• Put in a warm place
• Division:
• Tuber division of the tuberous begonia
• After wintering, divide the tuber in half
• Plant out the tuber parts

Caring for begonias

Begonias turn out to be very grateful and easy-care plants. So you don't have to spend a lot of time with the versatile plants. Begonias even clean themselves by simply dropping dead flowers. There is also no need to prune the begonias. You can only use the secateurs shortly before wintering.

Water begonias properly

Water the tropical begonias regularly, about twice a week. Sometimes it is difficult to find the right balance between too much and too little. This becomes a bit of a challenge, especially on hot days, because waterlogging can quickly lead to root rot. Also keep in mind that plants evaporate more water when there is a lot of wind and therefore need more water under these conditions. You should only water significantly less in winter. With tuberous begonias you can even do without watering after pruning over the winter.

Fertilize begonias properly

In order to produce a lot of flowers, the begonias need sufficient nutrition. From spring you can regularly apply a liquid begonia fertilizer. It is better for the environment and much less costly to give manure, compost or long-term organic fertilizer in spring and early summer. This is where ours comes in Plantura organic flower fertilizer excellent. From late summer onwards, you should stop fertilizing slowly, because begonias do not need any fertilizer over the winter.

Hibernate begonias

Begonias are not annual, even if they unfortunately often end up on the compost in autumn. Most begonias are actually quite easy to bring over the winter. Tuberous begonias, for example, only need a cool room without frost - it doesn't even have to be light. Most indoor begonias such as eliator begonias, on the other hand, can easily be kept in the room over the winter. Even ice begonias can be hibernated quite well in a bright room at around 16 ° C. More details on how your Successfully overwintering begonia, find out here.