Begonia grandis
hardy begonia
begoniaceae
Small pink flowers in drooping clusters;
light green succulent leaves with red veins
24–30 in. high; 18 in. wide
Part or full shade
Blooms July–October
Zones 6–9
pruning Pinching encourages
branching and keeps plants compact.
Deadheading to lateral buds prolongs
bloom, although hardy begonia has
attractive pink seedpods that extend
the interest of the plant. It is suscepti-
ble to stem rot, so when deadheading
leave about 1 in. of flower stem on the
plant. This will harden and fall off,
thus avoiding fresh wounds on the
main stem that can lead to infection.
Dead leaves can also cause rot and
should be removed. Do not prune off
bulbils (small bulbs) that form in a leaf
axil (the upper angle between a petiole
and stem of the plant); allow these
bulbils to develop to encourage some
seeding of this tender perennial,
especially in northern areas, which
will ensure constancy in the garden.
Plants blacken with heavy frost. Cut
down for the winter, and clean up
debris from the base of the plant.
other maintenance Hardy
begonia prefers moist, high-organic-
matter soil. Will take some sun in
cooler regions. At its hardiness limit in
zone 6, where cool winters are
common, it needs a winter mulch.
Plants are late to emerge (as late as
mid-June in central Ohio); do not
disturb growing area in early spring.
Seldom needs division, generally every
6–10 years. Begonia grandis