Begonias as a Perennial

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Garden begonias grow from a perennial root system consisting of a tuberous root section that produces the plant’s stems and feeder roots. While the tuber is perennial, frozen ground temperatures kill the root off so that the begonia can’t survive the winter. Keeping the plant as a perennial requires protecting the tuber so it can regrow new foliage and feeder roots each year.

Preferred Climate

  • Begonias don’t tolerate frost or frozen ground, so only remain perennial in the bed in tropical and subtropical gardening zones. In other areas, the begonias must be overwintered indoors if they are to survive winter frost. Due to this frost intolerance, begonias are classified as tender perennials. Tender perennials grow as annuals in many regions unless steps are taken to protect the tuberous root system from frost damage each year.

Digging Tubers

  • Tubers survive the first hard frost in fall, but the cold kills back the begonia foliage and forces the plant into dormancy. Gardeners dig the begonias as soon as the foliage begins dying back. Digging around the tubers then lifting the plant from the loosened soil prevents spade damage to the roots. Damaged roots are more likely to suffer rot problems during storage. Trim off the remaining stem from the tubers before setting them out in a well-ventilated room to dry, or cure, for three weeks.

Overwintering Begonias

  • Once cured, begonias require storage in a cool location where temperatures stay maintained between 40 and 50 degrees F. Refrigerators provide the correct temperature, but ripening fruits and vegetables stored inside the fridge produce gases that cause begonia tubers to rot. Small fridges used only for root and bulb storage eliminate this problem. Burying the tubers in a box of dry peat or vermiculite helps prevent rot by keeping the tubers dry. Replant tubers in the garden the following spring after frost danger is past.

Pot Culture

  • Growing begonias in pots provides an alternative to yearly digging that still allows the plant to grow as a perennial. You still must overwinter potted begonias indoors, but leave them in the pot and place in the cool location until spring. Bring them out eight weeks before the last expected spring frost and they will experience new growth and flowering sooner than those planted in beds later. Water, fertilize and provide sunlight during the eight-week period to break the plant’s dormancy and begin new growth.


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