Begonia Uses for a Garden

Among Hostas

• Hardy begonias (Begonia grandis) are a suitable choice to mix with hostas (Hosta), which are hardy n U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plant hardiness zones 3 through 8 and grow in full to partially shaded woodland gardens and borders. Examples are “Wildwood Premier” (Begonia grandis "Wildwood Premier"), which bears pink blossoms from July to October, and “Alba” (Begonia grandis subsp. evansiana “Alba”), which bears white blossoms from July to September. Hardy begonias prefer moist to wet soil and can grow near black walnut trees. "Wildwood Premier" and "Alba" grow 1 1/2 to 2 feet tall and 1 to 1 1/2 feet wide. Both are hardy in USDA zones 6 through 9.

Window Boxes and Hanging Baskets

• Certain begonias are suitable for window boxes and hanging baskets. “Bepared” Dragon Wing Red (Begonia “Bepared” Dragon Wing Red), for example, puts out scarlet blossoms from May to frost, grows best with consistent moisture and tolerates dense shade. Known for tolerating hot and humid summers, “Art Hodes” (Begonia "Art Hodes") is another option. It is a compact, bushy plant that puts out white flowers from May to October and tolerates full sun or considerable shade. Both of these begonias grow 1 to 1 1/2 feet tall, are hardy in USDA zones 10 through 11 and tolerate periods of drought.

Mass in Beds

• A simple way to perk up your landscape with long-blooming begonias is by making mass plantings. Options include “Big Series” (Begonia x benariensis “Big Series”), which puts out red-to-rose blossoms from May to frost amid green to bronze foliage. This begonia performs best in dappled shade and grows 1 to 1 1/2 feet tall. Begonias from the Semperflorens Cultorum Group also can be used for mass plantings. They have green or bronze foliage, put out white, pink, red or bicolor blossoms from June to frost and grow 6 inches to 1 foot tall. "Big Series" and Semperflorens Cultorum Group begonias are hardy in USDA zones 10 through 11 and grow best with consistent moisture but tolerate periods of drought.

Indoor-Outdoor Container Plants

• Some begonias are ideal to grow as houseplants that can be taken outside to create a deck or patio garden in summer. Hybrid tuberous begonias (Begonia Tuberosa Group), for example, perform best in dappled or bright shade and cool summers, but they don’t do well in heat, humidity or strong wind. This group of fussy plants begets brightly colored flowers in various colors, including yellow, apricot and white, from summer to fall. Those plants are hardy in USDA zones 9 through 11. An alternative is Iron cross begonia (Begonia masoniana), an evergreen, seasonal bloomer that is hardy USDA zones 11 to 12 and prefers high humidity and partial shade. Prized for its puckered bright-green foliage with chocolate-brown markings, it begets greenish-white flowers. Both of these indoor-outdoor begonias grow 1 to 1 1/2 feet tall.