Begonia

Begonia (bə’gōnyə) is a genus of plant that comes from tropical and sub-tropical climates. Most are easy to grow and have leaves with rewarding shapes, patterns and textures. They make great houseplants and many are hardy outside here at the coast.

Varieties and Care

Tuberous

Grown from a tuber, these are primarily known for their spectacular, large, often showy flowers. They typically bloom in the summer and go dormant in the winter, dying back to the tuber. They are popular for outdoor bedding plants and hanging baskets.

Tuberous Begonia Care
Difficulty	Moderate
Light	Bright light, protection from strong direct sun.
Temperature	55-85°F (13-29°C).
Water	Keep soil moist but not soggy; avoid watering the tuber. Winter dormant, leaves die back, store tubers in cold climates.

Rex

Rex Begonias are renowned for their spectacular foliage, grown almost exclusively for the visual impact of their leaves rather than their flowers. They feature vibrant colors and intricate patterns, often in swirls of silver, purple, pink, green, and red, giving them the nickname "painted-leaf begonias."

Rex Begonia Care
Difficulty	Moderate to Difficult
Light	Bright, indirect light; avoid direct sun.
Temperature	60-80°F (16-27°C).
Water	Allow top ⅓ to ½ of soil to dry between waterings. Never let the soil get soggy.

Cane (& Angel Wing)

Characterized by their tough, upright, bamboo-like stems with swollen nodes. They can grow quite tall and often have striking foliage with spots or patterns (like the Polka Dot Begonia). They usually bloom with clusters of hanging flowers and include many "angel wing" cultivars.

Cane Begonia Care
Difficulty	Easy
Light	Bright, indirect light; avoid harsh midday sun.
Temperature	55-75°F (13-24°C). Some can get even colder and handle our temperatures outside here at the coast.
Water	Water when top 50-75% of soil is dry.

Rhizomatous

These types are grown primarily for their incredibly diverse foliage rather than their flowers. They possess thick, creeping underground stems (rhizomes) and come in many shapes, sizes, textures, and colors. The popular Rex Begonia hybrids fall into this category.

Rhizomatous Begonia Care
Difficulty	Easy to Moderate
Light	Bright, indirect light; avoid direct sun.
Temperature	60-80°F (16-27°C).
Water	Allow top ⅓ to ½ of soil to dry between waterings.

Hardy

One of the most common indoor bromeliads, Guzmania is prized for its glossy green leaves and vibrant, long-lasting flower bracts in red, orange, yellow, or white.

Hardy Begonia Care
Difficulty	Easy
Light	Part to full shade.
Temperature	Hardy to 6-9 (needs winter mulch in colder zones). This is not a houseplant, but it will do well in a moist shade garden.
Water	Does well in moist, rich soil. Do not let the soil dry out completely. This plant will go dormant (disappear) in the winter and come up again in spring.

Thick Stemmed

These are a less common group with very thick, somewhat succulent stems that grow slowly. They often have large leaves and are generally low-maintenance, thriving in bright light conditions.

Thick Stemmed Begonia Care
Difficulty	Easy
Light	Bright, indirect light.
Temperature	65-80°F (18-27°C).
Water	Water when top 50-75% of soil is dry.

Wax

These are the common annual bedding plants across the country, but they can live year-round here at the coast. They have fibrous root systems, waxy leaves (green or bronze), and small white, pink, or red flowers. They are resilient and widely used in landscapes for continuous blooms.

Wax Begonia Care
Difficulty	Easy
Light	Full sun to part shade.
Temperature	50-85°F (10-29°C).
Water	Keep soil consistently moist, but well-drained (does well in pots).

Terrarium

While not an official designation of Begonia type, some Begonias we collect are diminuative plants requiring high humidity. These are worth growing, but require special care in a sealed terrarium.

Terrarium Begonia Care
Difficulty	Moderate to Difficult
Light	Low light, never direct sun. Artificial light works well.
Temperature	Keep warm (room temperature) and prevent overheating.
Water	These need high humidity. They must be grown in a terrarium and kept at 65% humidity or higher

The Planted Parlour’s Tips and Tricks for Success!

Begonias Don’t Like Wet FeetIf the soil feels moist and you’re unsure whether it’s dry enough to water, skip the water and check the next day.
The Thing About Rex Begonias…Rex Begonias have a particular habit of drooping when temperatures rise above 80° or so. When temperatures return to normal they perk back up. Be careful not to interpret the drooping as a cry for water, or you may end up giving your Rex the wet feet it doesn’t want.
Respect the RestSome Begonias can go dormant. Some do so regularly (such as hardy Begonia grandis and Tuberous Begonias) and others do so when they feel the need to take a break and then regrow (such as Rhizomatous and Rex). Water them very little (or not at all with the truly dormant ones) until they start to put out some new growth.

Learn More…

One of the most shared begonia anecdotes doesn’t come from a jungle expedition, but from a quiet house in Princeton, New Jersey, belonging to none other than the brilliant physicist Albert Einstein.

For the last two decades of his life, Einstein lived at 112 Mercer Street. He was famous for his messy white hair and not wearing socks on his daily walk to work. In his home, he kept a simple, green begonia houseplant. It wasn’t a rare or fancy type; just a regular, green, fibrous-rooted begonia.

After Einstein passed away in 1955, his longtime secretary, Helen Dukas, took care of his home and belongings. She decided that the best way to honor the quirky genius was not with a statue or plaque, but by giving away cuttings of his favorite plant to his physics friends and colleagues at Princeton University.

This begonia, affectionately nicknamed “Einstein’s Begonia,” became a living piece of history. Cuttings of cuttings were passed around among professors for decades. It still thrives in homes today, a simple houseplant linked to one of the smartest people in history. The story proves that even a basic houseplant can have a fun, surprising history if it hung out with the right person.

Begonia plants are both male and female

Begonias are monoecious plants, meaning they have separate male and female flowers on the same plant. The male flower is typically the more showy, often double flower with numerous stamens. The female flower is usually a simpler, single bloom distinguished by a prominent, often three-winged, seed pod (ovary) at its base, which contains the branched stigmas that receive pollen.

A Begonia Species Gallery

A selection of photos of Begonia species
(All photos copyright The Planted Parlour).
"Species" means the plant as it is found in its natural habitat, not hybridized by people.