Tell me all I need to know about Begonias please.

[lurkinginthebackground]

Hi,

I decided last yaer after visitng a beautiful village to try and palnt begonias in all my tubs and pots and possibly some in my garden border.

I have been in a local garden centre and they seem quite expensive. also you don't get many for the price. Does one bulb-if that's the right word-spread and how many would I need to fill a tub approx 30cm long?

Do they flower every year?

Which are the best type for both flowering and easy to grow?

Thanks.

[purplewithred]

Check online for small plug plants, generally the cheapest way to buy them. You won't need many to fill a 30cm tub as they will fill out quite a bit but they won't spread sideways. I would say three plants max would fill that with ease, but I'm not big on begonias.

begonias here

[GrimmaTheNome]

I don't know much about begonias either - except there are big showy ones and then little ones used as bedding plants. I would guess you mean the former as it's too early for the latter (not frost hardy I think). Though some garden centres do offer tender plants ridiculously early.

The big ones I've seen have a spread of about 20cm so a couple of tubers per tub might do it.

You can get them to flower every year (MIL had some which were reputedly decades old) but I think the tubers have to be lifted and stored somewhere frost free overwinter - I'm sure there's loads of details online. If you can do that then the expense isn't so bad.

[anniewoo]

Double headed begonias are the nicest.

[lurkinginthebackground]

Thanks for the replies.

Yes it is the big showy ones that caught my eye.

Will go on line to investigate.