Begonia Overview

Begonias are familiar plants you’ve seen in just about any front porch, garden, or planter. What you probably don’t know is that there’s more than 1,800 Begonia species! These perennial plants are native to the rocky, forested valleys and slopes of northeastern India, southern China and Vietnam. Begonias are colourful, attractive plants – their foliage sometimes a bit hairy (no razor burn, though) with prominent veins that can grow up to 12” long and 8” wide. Begonias are widely hybridized and cultivated for their showy foliage ranging in colour, texture and size. They can be easy to maintain as long as you identify what kind of Begonia you have – they belong to 3 categories: tuberous, fibrous and rhizomatous. Fibrous and Rhizomatous are much easier Begonias to handle as houseplants, while Tuberous have more demands and conditions to keep happy – much like the youngest child of 3. 

Begonia Family