Glowing Embers Begonia
Begonia 'Glowing Embers'
Height: 14 inches
Spacing: 14 inches
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: (annual)
Description:
A beautiful variety featuring stunning dark purple and bronze foliage, covered with contrasting fiery orange blooms; a compact, cascading habit, ideal for hanging baskets and patio containers; deadhead to encourage new blooms
Ornamental Features
Glowing Embers Begonia features dainty orange orchid-like flowers at the ends of the stems from early summer to early fall. Its attractive heart-shaped leaves emerge green in spring, turning deep purple in color with hints of coppery-bronze throughout the season.
Landscape Attributes
Glowing Embers Begonia is an herbaceous annual with a mounded form. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.
This is a relatively low maintenance plant. Trim off the flower heads after they fade and die to encourage more blooms late into the season. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Glowing Embers Begonia is recommended for the following landscape applications;
Planting & Growing
Glowing Embers Begonia will grow to be about 14 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 16 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 14 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. The flower stalks can be weak and so it may require staking in exposed sites or excessively rich soils. Although it's not a true annual, this plant can be expected to behave as an annual in our climate if left outdoors over the winter, usually needing replacement the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat.
This plant does best in partial shade to shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone over the growing season to conserve soil moisture. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by cuttings; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.
Glowing Embers Begonia is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor containers and hanging baskets. It is often used as a 'filler' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, providing a mass of flowers and foliage against which the thriller plants stand out. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.