Begonias are one of the most popular plants around the world with over 2000 different species under the Begonia genus. You’ll mostly find the wax-leaf variety down here in Louisiana, but there are still lots of choices to make about the color and tolerances you’d prefer in your begonia.
Some wax leaf varieties can grow large enough to fill hanging baskets while others can be the perfect compact bedding plant. A good rule of thumb to determine key characteristics of the begonia plants is to first determine the color of the foliage. Green leaves take less sun, while bronze / dark colored leaves will usually be more heat tolerant. If you have to give your begonias a lot of direct sun, try to make the majority of those hours in the morning time.
Begonias are a bit particular about their watering habits. While your regular flower garden soil should be fine drainage wise, the watering schedule is a bit harder. They don’t like completely dry or wet soil. Every 2-4 days depending on your weather, the size of your begonia, and your drainage is the best answer I can give you. They just need water when they’re thirsty!
Keeping good track of watering and sunlight will set your wax-leaf begonias up for a summer full of blooms, but how do you get these plants to survive the winter? Unless winterizing was your goal from the start, it can be pretty difficult to do to a bedding plant like the begonia. I would of course start out using a pot and bring the plant inside. I have definitely seen people get multiple years out of their begonias in the ground, but they are taking every necessary precautions. Mulching, covering up on hard freezes, etc. For regular gardeners out there< I’d treat this as a beautiful blooming annual. Something that – if it does end up coming back for the spring – is a nice bonus.
Like I said originally there are many, many varieties of begonias out there with different flowers, leaves, sizes, growth-habits, etc. I couldn’t cover anything too specifically, but I do love the baby-wing begonia and think it could use a shoutout. LSU AG has called the baby leaf a super-plant of Louisiana and with good reason. They are extremely durable in the face of Louisiana harsh summer months. Check these out if you haven’t already!
