Begonia 'Hanging Basket Red' (Hanging Basket Series) (T)

RHS

Bedding Conservatory Greenhouse

A tender, tuberous, trailing perennial with narrow, pointed bright green leaves with jagged edges. Large, fully-double, rich red flowers are produced from late spring until the first frosts.

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Loam

Max Height

0.1-0.5 metres

Max Spread

0.1-0.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 1 year
Max Spread: 0.1-0.5 metres
Max Height: 0.1-0.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Loam

Moisture: Moist but well–drained
pH: Neutral

Position

Full sun Partial shade

Aspect: East–facing or North–facing or South–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): H1B

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Begoniaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Trailing
Potentially harmful: Ornamental bulbs - not to be eaten. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling. Pets: Ornamental bulbs - not to be eaten - see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants for further information and useful contact numbers
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: Unresolved
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

Ideal for hanging baskets and tubs, and generally bought as cuttings. Start off indoors in spring in light, well-drained, neutral compost. May be grown permanently under glass in bright light shaded from direct sun. Otherwise move outdoors into a sunny or semi-shaded postion when all risk of frost is past. Dry off tubers in winter and store frost free. See begonias: outdoors for further advice

Propagation

Propagate by basal or stem-tip softwood cuttings in spring

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Cottage and informal garden
City and courtyard gardens
Hanging Basket
Patio and container plants

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