Tuberous Begonias

[andy]

Anyone growing them this year ?

What stage of growth are they at and do you think it's too late to put some in ?.....i always thought they had to be in during Feb.

Ta muchly

[davidk]

Hi Andy!

I am growing some, both non-stop and pendula varieties.
At the moment the most advanced have leaves, others are just breaking the surface of the compost.

"do you think it's too late" - Although ideally mid-Feb is the best time to start them off, providing you select corms with a strong shoot you can still have them ready for planting out in late early/mid May.

[4pygmies]

I'm growing some for the first time ever this year, as summer bedding is not usually my cup of tea. Smallest picked out some bright pink ones at the GH (what a surprise). She doesn't quite believe that flowers are going to grow from such unpromising looking lumps so I hope they succeed. Nothing happening at the moment though.....

[Rosefriend]

I grew Begonias for years and had some that were 15 years old and the corms were as big as saucers. The plants and indeed the blooms were magnificent.

I also split quite a few and gave them away and eventually gave all of them away. I always started them off middle February and I must admit they never let me down

I have been looking for a pendula one now for a couple of years called "Champagne" but as yet I cannot find it.

RF

[davidk]

This is some of the non-stop begonias I grew last year:

[Rosefriend]

They are absolutely gorgeous David and the colour is really vibrant.

Well done.

RF

[Cheerypeabrain]

beeeyootiful David...I'm very tempted...maybe next year.

[davidk]

Thank you!

The yellow ones are quite nice too. That's a red pendula begonia (in a wall basket) just above them - just a single corm.

[isabella]

They are absolutely gorgeous David What beautiful colours I love the orange ones

I do grow some Illumination Begonias every year in some of my wall baskets.

Begonias do make a fabulous show ,don't they

[davidk]

Thank you, Pam.

Yes, they do make for a showy display, don't they?

Probably I didn't catch these particular yellow ones at their best, although they made for a nice display just outside my front door.

Btw, I don't grow very many of them.

[Chuckles]

I have 2 hanging baskets planted up with 4 white and 4 orange, the shoots were just showing when I planted them on the 2nd of March, they are in the poly kennel and haven't moved on a bit yet. Guess they will suddenly start and then go mad

[Deleted]

One corm seems to give a lot of flowers and growth.

How many would you recommend per pot or 14" basket. Was looking at the apricot/peach ones but never grown them before.

[Susie Snowdrop]

Sorry for butting in......butt.......but, try Begonia Illumination Shades of Apricot in a hanging basket. Looks like a permanent sunset in your garden throughout the summer! Fanblinkingtastic

S x

[Deleted]

Thanks Susie...will do. They look gorgeous. My neighbour grows them every year and are really stunning. Thought i would give them a blast this year.

[Deleted]

How many to a basket do you use Susie?

[davidk]

ziggywigs said:

How many to a basket do you use Susie?

Hi Guys!

Erm! Not sure if I'm missing something here, but in my own experience 1 tuber/plant (2 at most) would be ample for a 14" basket.
[see my picture of yellow non-stop begonias, the wall basket above them contains just 1 plant]

[Susie Snowdrop]

For a REALLY spectacular display I put four around the edge of the basket and an upright in the middle

S x

[Chuckles]

Thats sounds like a good idea Susie, trouble is I always sink a 3" pot in the middle for watering into

[nightowl]

The begonias I bought in flower last year were left in their containers cos I had nowhere to store them properly. I assumed they'd die but they're all coming through and look healthy.

Are they too late to make a show this year? I know they should have been got going a lot earlier than this, and they've had no TLC at all

Wish I'd marked them now. Haven't a clue what's what, ie colours and type

[Deleted]

Whilst they may not be everybody's cup of tea, you seem to have managed to over winter them fine.

I wouldn't worry about their size right now, judge them in a month's time, rather than against anything you'll see in a garden centre. By July you'll have forgotten you even asked this question, as they will be bigger and better than last year.

[nightowl]

Thanks CPC. The next problem is that they didn't all make it and are scattered unevenly between 3 containers that I wanted for something else.

How do you think they would take to being transplanted now?

[bagpuss]

I grew 2 last year for the first time in a wall trough and was really pleased with them. Mine seem to have overwintered fine as the shoots are starting to appear.

I bought some more this year from Wilkinsons, as I did last year. They were ½ price - 65p for 2 corms. I have got the 2 pendula red, for a wall trough and am trying the upright double pink in two wall planters with some cream/pink lillies.

They're weren't really the sort of thing I would have gone for, but they flower for so long, and have such an impact, that I really rather like them now and would definitely recommend giving them a try.

[Cheerypeabrain]

I now have 3 begonias (picotee salmon) in a shallow (8" deep) pot..it's about 16" diameter...they've been in for about 5 weeks and are showing lots of growth ( at about the same stage as my overwintered dahlia tubers) ;D

[Chuckles]

greety said:

I have 2 hanging baskets planted up with 4 white and 4 orange, the shoots were just showing when I planted them on the 2nd of March, they are in the poly kennel and haven't moved on a bit yet. Guess they will suddenly start and then go mad

My 8 have varying growth on them, some have 4" of lush leaves, others are just sprouting shoots and others have nothing at all. I thought they may have rotted but had a good squeaze and they are still firm, maybe just late starters

[Rosefriend]

I have eventually tracked down the Pendula Begonia "Champagne" that I so love. Now then these plants are rather expensive and I wondered whether I could get some seeds from them.

As all the blooms just seem to fall off when they feel like it, I am not sure how I get seeds.

I have saved two seed capsules and just left them on the kitchen windowsill, - am I going to get anywhere or can someone tell me a better way.

Thanks

RF

[Deleted]

By far the easiest way is to take cuttings (just use a very sharp knife) and pot on. Not only will you have a nice display of multiple plants this year, but by the end of the season you will find that they have produced corms of their own, which can be stored overwinter.

[Rosefriend]

Thanks Capt. PC - for some reasons I never thought of cuttings - getting old.

As I do not have a greenhouse, apart from a couple of plastic ones, can I take the cuttings at the end of the season and keep them somewhere cool until next year. There is no way that cuttings can cope with a normal German winter as you will know.

Also any chance that I can do them in water or is it better to pot them straight on in potting compost.

Sorry done so many cuttings - just never begonias before.

RF

[Deleted]

I don't see why not! You can put them in water, but I always just pot into compost