The illustrated growing guide

Begonia

Begonia × semperflorens

Family Begoniaceae

Est. zones 2-11

Botanical illustration of Begonia — Annual · Begonia × semperflorens

The cast-iron bedding plant: drought-tolerant-ish, self-cleaning, blooming in shade OR sun (bronze types). 'Dragon Wing' is the upgrade nobody regrets.

Annual

Where to buy the plant — 1 nursery

Begonia Rex — a print from the Houseplants Vol. 2 collection

From the print shop

The closest print we make

We don’t print Begonia × semperflorens. The closest we have is Begonia rex (“Begonia Rex”) in the Houseplants Vol. 2 collection — the same genus, Begonia, not the same species.

16 designsfrom $21.99white or black groundmatte poster, unframed

Shop Houseplants Vol. 2 botanical prints →

Overview

Will begonia suit your garden, and what goes wrong.

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Will it thrive where you are?

Enter your ZIP — we look up your USDA hardiness zone (2023 map) and check it against what begonia actually needs.

Life cycleTender perennial, grown as an annual

Begonia at a glance

Life cycleTender perennial, grown as an annual

Mature size6-12 in

PollinationMinor

Chill requirementNot yet established

Bloom seasonMay - Frost, self-cleaning

Harvest seasonNot yet established

Growth rateModerate

Common begonia problems

Mealybugs (rare outdoors)
Botrytis
Stem Rot if crowded and wet

Growing

Light, water, soil, propagation and the season’s jobs.

How to grow begonia: light, water & soil

LightPart Shade (bronze-leaf types take sun)

WaterModerate — fleshy stems rot in swampy pots

SoilWell-drained, rich · pH 5.5 - 6.5

FertilizerMonthly

PruningNone — None — pinch once in June if leggy.

Spacing8-10 in

When to spray begonia

Growing season. Space for airflow; water mornings.

Timing only — the label is the law

This is when to watch and when a treatment is worth considering, not a recommendation to apply any product. Read and follow the product label before you spray — under federal law the label is the legal instruction, and using a pesticide against it is illegal.

Check the pre-harvest interval. Every product that’s cleared for an edible crop sets a minimum number of days between spraying and picking. Find it on the label before you spray anything you intend to eat.
Check the re-entry interval before you or anyone else works in the treated area again, and use the protective equipment the label names.
Confirm the product is registered for begonia in your state. A product legal on one crop is not legal on all of them, and state registrations differ — your state pesticide agency or local extension office can confirm both.
Rates and mixing instructions come from the label, never from us. We don’t publish them because they differ by product and formulation.

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The year

What begonia asks for, month by month.

The begonia year, month by month

MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Bloom

What each band means

Bloom — flowers open — pollinators working, frost on blossoms is the danger.

The begonia year as text

Jan quiet month
Feb quiet month
Mar quiet month
Apr quiet month
May bloom
Jun quiet month
Jul quiet month
Aug quiet month
Sep quiet month
Oct quiet month
Nov quiet month
Dec quiet month

These are the species' typical months — expect them a few weeks earlier in warm zones and later in cold ones. Watch the plant, not just the calendar.

Ecology & uses

What it does for the garden, and what it is grown for.

Begonia in the garden system

AttractsButterflies

MoistureWetland / wet-tolerant

DeerBrowsed — protect young plants

OriginIntroduced

What begonia is grown for

! Some parts toxic — see notesToxic to dogs/cats (tubers worst)

UseEdging

UseShade containers

Edibility, identification, and traditional-use notes here are general reference — not medical or veterinary advice, and not a claim that any plant treats or prevents anything. Medicinal ratings record how strongly a plant features in herbal tradition, nothing more. Never eat or dose a plant you have not positively identified. More on how to use this library.

Cultivars

Named varieties of begonia, ruled as a catalogue.

Best begonia varieties & cultivars

Semperflorens (bedding); 'Dragon Wing' (bigger, angel-wing show); tuberous (hanging shade baskets)

Sources & plant ID

Where the care distinctions come from, and how the plant is filed.

Research basis

Sources behind this profile

No extension citations are attached to begoniayet. The care figures below come from the library's own catalogue rather than a traced primary source.

Plant ID

BinomialBegonia × semperflorens

FamilyBegoniaceae

TypeAnnual · Tender Perennial

USDA symbolBESE

OriginIntroduced

Invasive riskLow

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Where to buy

Third-party nurseries — not Story Thyme Farms.

Third-party nurseries, not Story Thyme Farms. Prices are theirs.

Story Thyme Farms may earn a small commission from these links, at no cost to you — it never changes what we recommend.

EtsyBrowse growers↗

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Questions

Begonia questions, answered straight.

Is begonia safe for kids and pets?

With care. Toxic to dogs/cats (tubers worst) Site it accordingly if children or pets roam the garden. This is general reference, not medical or veterinary advice — call a vet or poison control if something has actually been eaten.

Elsewhere

Where begonia sits in the library.

Where begonia sits in the library

Houseplants59 All collections

Grows in the same world