Take a look at new begonia varieties from Ball Horticultural, Benary, Suntory, Ecke Ranch, GreenFuse Botanicals, and Cultivaris introduced in 2012 for 2013 production.
‘Million Kisses Honeymoon’ from Ball Ingenuity
‘Million Kisses Honeymoon,’ a yellow flowering begonia, is new to the Million Kisses series. Million Kisses flowers 10 to 14 days faster than the competition, and is best in partial to full shade and low humidity.
Height: 10 to 12 inches
Spread: 30 to 36 inches
Trailing length: 24 inches
Begonia ‘Bon Bon Cherry’ from Ball Ingenuity
Cherry joins Sherbet in the Bon Bon series from Ball Ingenuity. Double blooms make the Bon Bon begonia series showy in baskets. Performs best in partial to full shade with low humidity.
Height: 8 to 10 inches
Spread: 12 to 14 inches
Trailing length: 8 inches
‘Sparks Will Fly’ from Burpee Home Gardens
The unique dark bronze foliage and tangerine blooms of ‘Sparks Will Fly’ have retail appeal. Bright orange blooms mature to yellow in the fall. ‘Sparks Will Fly’ features a medium “rounded mounded” habit that stays controlled.
Height: 15 to 18 inches
Spread: 15 to 18 inches
Begonia boliviensis ‘Santa Cruz Sunset’ from Benary
An alternative to cutting raised varieties, ‘Santa Cruz Sunset’ has a compact, upright habit during production. It is drought and rain-tolerant and thrives in full sun and shade. Fiery bright red-orange bell-shape flowers cover plants.
Height: 12 to 16 inches
Spread: 16 to 20 inches
Begonia ‘Crackling Fire’ from Suntory
This variety performs with half-hanging habits and good branching that can fit small pot production.
Begonia Arcada Series from Ecke
Large, brightly colored blooms are available in seven colors in the Arcada series. They are great for use in hanging baskets and perform in the shade. Unique foliage colors and shapes add to their appeal.
Begonia Nordic series from Ecke
Large double flowers grace the Nordic series from Ecke, which are beautiful in hanging baskets. ‘Nordic Fire’ has been awarded the Royal Horticulture Society Award of Garden Merit.
Begonia ‘Gumdrops Coco Red’ from GreenFuse Botanicals
The Gumdrops color range is broad, including three bronze leaf colors. The new Coco Red is one of them. The flowers are double, with true landscape performance.
Height: 18-24 inches
Begonia ‘Fire Balls’ from Ball Ingenuity
Available as unrooted cuttings and as rooted liners through Dummen production locations, ‘Fire Balls’ features large semi-double blooms. Upright, vigorous plants make great summer baskets and planters.
Height: 14 to 16 inches
Spread: 12 to 16 inches
Begonia Belleconia series–Cultivaris
Belleconia varieties are boliviensis types with excellent branching, making them perfect for hanging baskets. They feature a tight teardrop habit loaded with medium-sized, fully-double flowers. The new Ivory color has ivory white flowers that are flushed with salmon on the outside.
Begonia ‘Summerwings Apricot’ from Cultivaris
‘Summerwings Apricot’ features medium-sized single flowers flushed in soft orange. The Summerwings series reaches a length of four to five feet by the end of the summer, with a tight, teardrop habit. It was bred by Silvia Hofmann of InnovaPlant in Germany.
Begonia ‘Summerwings Vanilla’ from Cultivaris
‘Summerwings Vanilla’ features medium-sized single cream-colored flowers. The Summerwings series reaches a length of four to five feet by the end of the summer, with a tight, teardrop habit. It was bred by Silvia Hofmann of InnovaPlant in Germany.
What kind of summer heat tolerance do these new Tuberous types have? Are they only adapted for areas where with moderate summer temps? Has there been breeding improvement for hot summers, and how much heat will they take? Do they potentially open new markets?
All tuberous do not tolerate extreme heat with humidity. I am in Tampa Bay, and by June they melt. Period. In areas with drier summers they do much better, but prefer a drop in temp at night. As Horticultural Correspondent for the American Begonia Society, I have experience!
I notice that some of these new begonia cultivars are now all-male plants, with no female flowers at all. First time I’ve seen this sort of thing with begonia, and it is unfortunate, to say the least. They have managed to take a very low-allergen, low-pollen plant, and come up with just the opposite. Take a close look at ‘Sparks Will Fly’….nothing but male flowers.