Begonia boliviensis 'Bonfire'

Elizabeth Waterman lizwat@earthlink.net
Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:17:04 PST
Hi Jim,
Cuttings of this plant taken earlier in the season form little tubers in 
the fall.
Next year you can star a small forest of them.
Liz W

Jim McKenney wrote:
> Last year, too late to find one for sale, I heard through the grapevine
> about Begonia boliviensis ‘Bonfire’. I was able to obtain one this year and
> the short version of the story is WOW!  Those of you who garden in areas
> congenial to summer blooming tuberous begonias might not be too impressed
> with this plant, but for those of us who garden under the sort of summer
> conditions we experience here on the East Coast, this begonia is a welcome
> addition to our summer garden flora. It bloomed here all summer and into the
> fall without a break and grew vigorously the whole time. I’ve heard that
> vigorous old plants produce annual growth several feet long!  
>
>  
>
> After the first light frosts the above ground parts of the plant began to
> fall apart.  
>
>  
>
> At that point, I was unsure what to do. A bit of Googling provided the
> answer. This species forms a corky, tuberous corm, and it’s a big one. I had
> planted my plant into a tall narrow blue glazed ceramic container. This
> highlighted the pendulous growth habit of ‘Bonfire’ handsomely. But now I
> have a problem: I went to check how big the corm was the other day, and it’s
> so big I can not pull it through the opening of the container it grows in.
> The corm is easily the size of a lemon, maybe bigger. It will probably spend
> the winter in the same container. 
>
>  
>
> I’ll bet this plant would survive the winter here outside in a very
> protected place. 
>
>  
>
> Jim McKenney
>
> jimmckenney@jimmckenney.com
>
> Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, 39.03871º North, 77.09829º West, USDA zone
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