Begonia ravenii (T)

RHS Plant Profile
Raven's begonia

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Herbaceous Perennial
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A tuberous perennial, to around 60cm high, with creeping stolons, succulent, often reddish stems, and large, asymmetric, shallowly lobed green leaves with serrated edges. Small clusters of pink flowers are produced from the leaf axils in summer and early autumn

Position

Partial shade

Soil Types

Loam

Max Height

0.5-1 metres

Max Spread

0.5-1 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
2–5 years
Max Spread
0.5-1 metres
Max Height
0.5-1 metres

Growing Conditions

Loam
Moisture
Well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Partial shade
Aspect
East–facing or West–facing
Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

  • H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
  • H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
  • H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
  • H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
  • H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
  • H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
  • H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
  • H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
  • H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)
H3

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Begoniaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Clump forming
Genus
Begonia can be annuals, evergreen or deciduous perennials or shrubs, with fibrous, tuberous or rhizomatous roots and usually asymmetrical leaves, often strikingly patterned, and small or large flowers, both male and female in the same cluster
Name Status
Correct
Horticultural Group

Horticultural Classification Codes

Horticultural Classification Codes are often given to genera which have a large number of species or cultivars. They are used to categorise cultivated plants based on specific, shared characteristics such as shape, colour, size or flowering time, and can be displayed as letters or numbers

For example:
Dahlia ‘Sunset Kate (Sin) = Single flower
Rosa ‘Marigold’ (HT) = Hybrid Tea

Tuberhybrida begonias are bushy tuberous perennials with glossy leaves and usually double flowers in small clusters in summer; most are dormant in winter

How to Grow

Cultivation

Plant in well-drained soil in part shade. See begonias: outdoors

Propagation

Propagate by basal or stem-tip softwood cuttings in spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Hanging Basket
  • Patio and container plants
  • Rock garden
  • Banks and slopes
  • Conservatory and greenhouse

Pruning

Remove old stems and foliage as the plant dies back for winter

Pests

May be susceptible to caterpillars, mealybugs, thrips, glasshouse red spider mite, vine weevil and aphids

Diseases

May be susceptible to grey moulds, powdery mildews, stem rot and rhizome rot