Saturday, February 7, 2015

A new hardy begonia?

Begonia hybrid
Unnamed begonia hybrid (August 2014)

I'm leading with a photo from last summer because that's what this blog post is ultimately about.  And hoo-boy, could I use some warm weather right now!  This has been a slow winter for me, with MANTS being an isolated bright spot of horticulture in the middle of January (see Beating the winter blahs at MANTS).  This hasn't been a bad winter for Washington, DC but I'm just back from an extended visit to Buffalo to help out with my dad, who is in a nursing home following a major stroke and was in the hospital for the last 6 days of my latest visit.  This was an exhausting visit, and to add insult to injury the weather was awful but for once it worked in my favor: there was a weather advisory on the day of my scheduled departure and I was able to extend my stay for an extra 3 days without any additional fee.

Buffalo sunset
Snowy Buffalo sunset

What a relief to finally come home from the cold and snow!  The first thing I did, as I always do upon returning from a long trip, was to check on all my plants.  I was happy to see that many of the seeds I had sown before my trip are germinating well.

Begonia seedlings
Begonia seedlings

But one begonia in particular has me a bit excited!  Last fall I left several potted begonias, both species and hybrids, on my back steps after frost knocked them down.  Before heading out of town for Thanksgiving I covered them with leaves, intending to bring them in upon my return and before the weather turned much colder.  Well, the holidays are always a crazy time for me; fast forward to 2 weeks ago and that's when I finally rescued them, just before my trip to Buffalo.  While they were still outdoors, lows went down to the low twenties (ca. -5° C) several nights, with at least one night near 10° (-12° C) and a couple of periods that stayed at or below freezing for several days.  I fully expected most to be dead, but when I pulled away the leaves I was encouraged to see that several still had firm rhizomes.  I placed them in a cool room and left for Buffalo.

Dormant begonias
Dormant begonias

I've discovered that many begonias are surprisingly hardy, and will survive extended cold periods as long as the rhizomes don't freeze solid (see Beyond Begonia grandis: new hardy begonias and Hardy begonias: the next generation).  Although these plants were in pots, the sheltered concrete steps and leaves apparently gave them sufficient protection when temperatures dropped well below freezing.  When I came home I checked on them, and was pleased to see that most still have firm rhizomes and look like they're going to survive.  But on looking even more closely, I saw this:

Signs of life
Signs of life

And that brings me back to the begonia in the photo way up at the top.  Yes, this is the same plant, and it's not only still alive but is already putting out new growth.  Here's another look at the plant last summer:

Begonia hybrid (cropped)
Unnamed begonia hybrid (scale: 5"/12.7 cm pot)

This plant, one of my own hybrids, has a spotted form of B. formosana as one parent; the hybrid's leaves are darker, and more heavily spotted, but otherwise it's similar to that parent in size, growth habit, and leaf shape.  Both form creeping rhizomes at or slightly below the soil surface, from which grow upright leafy stems.  Begonia formosana has been hardy for me through two winters, surviving temperatures in the single digits (ca. -15° C) with only light protection.  The other parent (a complex rex hybrid with B. deliciosa in its parentage) has also been hardy in the ground for me, and I'm pleased that my hybrid has apparently inherited hardiness from both parents.

Begonia formosana
Begonia formosana (with seed capsules of B. grandis)

I got several nice seedlings from this cross, and in addition to the one I kept in a pot, I planted two of them in the ground last year.  It will be interesting to see whether they come back this spring; if they do, I think I might be onto something!  Maybe it's time to start thinking of cultivar names... any suggestions?

14 comments :

  1. Nice work, hope the in ground plants survive too. Ernie

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    1. Thanks, I'm keeping my fingers crossed, and watching the forecast for the next few days a bit nervously!

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  2. That's great news John and we hope that the ones you left on the ground will come back as that definitely confirms it. Mind you the potted one alone has already proven a good winter hardiness already. Any hardy begonia that comes out is always a welcome news!

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    1. I sure hope so too! I had several very nice-looking plants in the ground, including the siblings of this one.

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  3. Please give them an awesome name like Spotticus maximus. My begonias froze and I tossed them. Next year, I'll be wiser thanks to this post.

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    1. I always ask my plants what they want their names to be, and they usually tell me. The problem is that on occasion the names have been a bit naughty! So who knows what they will be...

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  4. Wonderful to see it all progressing! Can't wait to hear how the new year turns out!

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    1. Spring can't come soon enough! I'll be posting updates as soon as I see any plants emerging.

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  5. I hope to see them in market one day

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    1. So do I! I have a couple of commercial growers interested, I just need to trial my plants for myself a bit longer and then they'll get their turn.

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  6. John,

    Please propagate and distribute this showy selection as soon as possible. It has interesting leaves. Every gardener will want one.

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    1. Thanks Gary, the next step will be to test it in the ground. I was pleased with its heat tolerance last summer so I do have high hopes for it.

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  7. This last cold snap will test them for sure. Good luck!

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    1. We actually have colder weather coming later this week, even colder than last winter and probably our coldest temperatures in 20 years. So this is definitely the winter to test them! If I hadn't had so many survive last winter, I would be a lot more nervous right now.

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