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Garden Begonias still occupy an insignificant place in the garden plots of s. Most likely, this is due to the difficulties of growing. Begonia is a whimsical plant that requires special care rules. But beautiful, unusually colored buds are able to conquer the most fastidious gardeners. Tuberous Begonia Grandiflora is not a variety, it is a variety of plants with large flowers. The features of plants, the rules of agricultural technology will be discussed below.
A bit of history
The flower got its name in honor of the scientist Michel Begon, who conducted scientific research back in the XNUMXth century. Already at this time, the plant attracted with its unusualness.
Indoor Begonia was the first to be grown by the British at the end of the XNUMXth century. Greenhouses were used to plant a heat-loving flower. The inhabitants of England were happy to buy beautiful plants with buds of various colors.
Belgian native Louis Van Hutt decided to grow Begonias outdoors. It is to him that gardeners owe the discovery of 200 forms and varieties of garden Begonia. Hutt created terry forms of Begonia and presented them for the first time at an exhibition in 1870 in Belgium. Plants with tubers are currently enjoying great success.
Tuberous Begonia also came to Our Country in the 1812th century and got its name: “Napoleon’s ear.” This is connected with the events of XNUMX, when the French wanted to conquer freedom-loving Our Country. According to historians, the emperor, running away from the battlefield, could not save his ears from the frost. His ear became like Begonia flowers.
Description
Tuberous Begonia Grandiflora are herbaceous plants. They have a well-developed root system, represented by underground nodule rhizomes. The culture has a different height, depending on the variety – from 20 to 80 cm. It is distinguished by juicy thin and translucent stems.
The arrangement of leaves in tuberous Begonias is asymmetrical, this characteristic also applies to the heart-shaped form. Leaf blades are either whole or dissected, consisting of several lobes. The edges of the sheet may have waves or teeth.
Below, the leaves of Begonia are reddish, brown or even dark purple. The upper surface of the leaf plate may be green or some other color. In addition, there are leaves with a geometric pattern, strokes, inclusions. This is clearly visible in the photo.
Flowers are bisexual in all species and varieties, but the sizes and colors are different. By the number of petals, Begonias are divided into double, semi-double and simple. The color of the petals of the tuberous Begonia is monophonic or with a border around the edges. Flowering is continuous, from three weeks to five months. It depends on the type and variety. In room culture, enjoy the beautiful inflorescences of Begonia until the New Year.
Varieties
As already noted, Begonia Grandiflora is not the name of a variety, but a feature of plants. This group includes tuberous Begonias with large double flowers. Inflorescences in appearance resemble camellias. The height of such plants is up to 30 centimeters. We present a description of the most common varieties.
Orange
Tuberous Begonia Grandiflora Orange is an ideal plant for pots and vases. The flower is low, from 25 to 30 centimeters. The leaves are collected in a rosette, they are dark green, shiny. The inflorescences are large, 10 to 15 cm in diameter, with dense terry. Coloring all shades of orange. Flowering begonia Orange continuous, long.
Rose
Tuberous Begonia Rose is a low compact plant with large buds up to 18 cm in diameter. The flowers are densely double with white or pale pink petals. They are very similar to roses. Leaf blades are green, large, with wavy edges.
White
This variety of tuberous Begonia Grandiflora belongs to the terry varieties. Three buds are formed in one inflorescence. Each of them is about 12 cm in diameter. The petals are snow-white, which is why the flowering bush looks elegant and spectacular. On the tips of the delicate petals, which are about 9 cm in size, a slight corrugation is noticeable.
You can grow Begonia White varieties as a pot culture or in flower beds. Although flowering is short, only 2-3 weeks, gardeners love tuberous Begonia for its sweet, wondrous aroma that spreads far beyond the site.
Begonia bushes are low, no more than 30 cm. The leaves are light green, with a pattern. Best of all, the qualities of the plant are revealed in diffused light or in partial shade.
Yellow
By planting Yellow Begonia with yellow flowers in the garden, you will be able to enjoy the sweet aroma of flowers for two to three weeks. Depending on the variety, the buds can be yellow or lemon yellow. The diameter of densely double flowers with wavy edges is from 10 to 12 centimeters. The lower inflorescences are much larger than the upper ones, but due to the abundant flowering, the difference is almost not noticeable.
The height of Begonia bushes is 20-25 cm. Plants attract attention not only with fragrant flowers, but also with bronze-colored leaves with an exquisite pattern. Begonia Yellow is grown to decorate flower beds, rabatok. It can be grown in pots and flowerpots, on loggias and verandas.
Pink
One of the spectacular representatives of the Begonia variety, Grandiflora, stands out with huge buds reaching a diameter of 20 cm. The flowers are terry pale pink, can be in the form of a peony, rose, camellia, narcissus. Flowering is abundant and long. A bush about 20 cm high. Begonia Pink is suitable for growing in flower beds and pots.
Planting and care
Tuberous Begonias can be propagated in many ways:
- seeds;
- cuttings;
- tubers
We will analyze the last method of reproduction in detail.
Material preparation
Planting tubers of large-flowered Begonia Grandiflora in open ground is possible only in the southern regions. In the rest of Our Country, flowers are grown through seedlings in separate pots or a common container at a sufficient distance.
Before planting tubers, you must:
- Examine from all sides to understand if he died during storage. Healthy planting material should be firm, with no signs of rot or parasites. Sometimes the kidneys are already waking up.
- Remove old roots and scales.
- Disinfect. To do this, use special preparations that can be purchased at a flower shop. Dilute fungicides in warm water according to the instructions. Begonia tubers are lowered for 40 minutes only on the shoulders.
Landing in a container
As for the soil, it is best to purchase it at the store. You need to choose the composition that is intended for growing Begonias. If this is not possible, then the soil is prepared independently. In addition to sod land, compost, sand and wood ash are added to it.
Begonia nodules are planted without deepening, the upper part should be above the ground. Often, inexperienced gardeners make mistakes when planting, especially if the buds have not yet woken up. You need to plant a nodule with the convex part down into moist soil, and the notch should be on top!
Pots for tuberous Grandiflora Begonias are chosen shallow because the roots are close to the surface. Drainage must be placed at the bottom to avoid stagnation of water and the development of putrefactive processes. Plants are grown in a bright place, but direct sunlight should not fall on the leaves, otherwise burns will appear on them.
How to plant tubers:
If the tubers of Begonia Grandiflora were planted in a common container, then after the appearance of 3-4 leaves, it must be dived.
Care after planting the nodules consists in watering, shallow loosening.
Bedding
Two weeks before the transfer of plants to open ground, hardening is carried out. The containers are taken out into the shade, gradually increasing the residence time.
Large-flowered Begonias are planted in a place protected from the sun and winds at a distance of at least 30 cm in fertile soil. Compost and wood ash are added to each hole. Immediately after planting, the surface is mulched to retain moisture.
In-ground care
After the plants are accepted, they need to be watered regularly (do not wet the leaves!), remove weeds and feed. Sometimes plants do not develop well. This may be due to insufficient soil acidity.
Fertilizer
Top dressing is carried out several times per season:
- In the spring, when tuberous Begonias need to grow green mass, they need full complex fertilizers.
- When the first buds appear and in the future, top dressing is carried out once every 14 days. You can use special dressings for Begonias or potash and phosphorus fertilizers for flowers.
Fragile stems must be tied to a support so that they do not break and spoil the decor of the site. Wilted flowers and drying leaves are also removed. Only in this case, large-flowered terry Grandiflora Begonias will look like a real bouquet.
Harvesting tubers for the winter
At the beginning of autumn, all types of Begonias begin a dormant period. Stop watering and fertilizing. But it is not necessary to cut off the yellowing shoots until they are completely dry. This will allow the nodules to accumulate the nutrients necessary for the next growing season.
When there is not a single leaf left, the stems are cut off. After 14 days, the rhizomes are dug up, dried. The earth needs to be cleaned and the nodules removed in a bag with sphagnum, since it has strong bactericidal properties. Such storage will protect the planting material of tuberous Begonias from the rotting process. It is necessary to store tubers at a temperature not higher than 8 degrees and from time to time to control their condition.
Instead of a conclusion
Beautiful and delicate Begonias with large double flowers are widely used in landscape design.
They can serve as a frame for flowerbeds and rabatok, curbs, alpine slides, you can create carpet mono-flowers from plants.
If you want the flowers not to be lost among other garden plants, plant them under trees or shrubs. They will feel comfortable in the openwork shade of the branches.
Grandiflora Begonias with double flowers look great on lawns with lawn grass, as well as among annuals: lobularia, lobelia, surfinia and iberis.