I always keep my begonia corms over winter, some I have had for six or seven years. I put them into old shoe boxes and store in the shed. I very raely have to buy new ones. Golden Showers is my favourite and thry keep coming year after ytear.
Hi can any one tell me the very best way to store begonias through winter please? A leading horticulturist says in peat, others say in paper bags and the reast say in nothing other than a box in a dark frost free condition. Also do you have to keep them moist at all or just forget about them?
I am on the south west coast of Devon and I have had the worst year in my garden in the 36 years. This year for the first time all my Begonia Apricot shades in my baskets and pots have got mildew. Can I still save the corms for next year as usual or will the mildew have affected the corms and have to be thrown away.
Also this year all my Fushia's and Geranium's have got rust, I am unable to spray as I have a pond with Koi and Goldfish are they a lost cause and need to be thrown away. I usually overwinter them in my little greenhouse. I tried taking all the infected leaves off but it still returned when the new leaves appeared.
All the gareden is kept well watered when needed in such a wet summer.
Hi, I too am in Devon north of Plymouth on the edge of the Moors
Last year I just brought the pots inside of large flowered begonias and they were great a couple I accidentally left out and they too were fine. Now I am going to bring in again I think but am aware I may get vine weevil.
I had an acanthus, Bears Breeches, which has been really badly affected by mildew for two years now. Fine previously, but about 8' away I have one which was not affected at all. The second plant was not quite as sheltered as the badly affected one I put green sulphur on it etc to no avail. Cut off the leaves finally as it looked so bad and it came again later in the summer with new leaves and was fine.
However, I dug it up and replanted in the garden where there is a better air current. I sometimes have holyhocks affected by rust but just give them a break for a few years then replant and often don't get it.
Conclusion is that the weather conditions and places in the garden are what determines these things and it is always worth trying a different arrangement for some plants even if they have blight, disease, mildew or rust it is not necessarily born from one year to the next or even one plant to the next. In theory if you dig up your corms and store them dry they should be fine.
Good Luck it has been a weird year here in the South West weatherwise but a wonderfully beautiful county to live in.
You must live very near to me duskhunter, I’m just outside Tavistock, it has indeed been a dreadful year, apart from a heatwave for about two weeks, I don’t think we’ve had a day where it hasn’t rained, some years we are bailing out bathwater to keep for plant watering, this year, all butts still full.
As you say, lots of plants mildew, but that’s usual for here too, I take no notice of that sort of thing, you’d be worrying constantly. I try to grow what’s tough and can take the weather, to make things worse, we are 960ft above sea level, so always windy.
But having lived here now for seven years, am finally sorting out what will overwinter and what grows reasonably well.
this weather does indeed keep our beautiful county green, I used to visit my family in Essex, as I drove up Country I would notice the verges and field gradually turning yellow and parched, when I got to her, she would say that there’s nothing she can do in the garden. Can’t get a fork into it.
so, I would rather have out weather than hers.???
Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor.
Thank you duskhunter, I will just have to wait and see what next year brings. Hopefully the plants will be ok and fingers crossed at least slightly dryer weather for us next year.
If not I will perhaps have to change the plants I grow in the future...stop being a creature of habit.
Devon is most deffinately a glorious place to live and being born here on the English Riviera I wouldn't be anywhere else.
Posts
I always keep my begonia corms over winter, some I have had for six or seven years. I put them into old shoe boxes and store in the shed. I very raely have to buy new ones. Golden Showers is my favourite and thry keep coming year after ytear.
can anyone tell me how long roughly should it take to get a begonia tuber to form from a leaf cutting
I think the ones you take leaf cuttings from are the indoor house plants. You save your tubers from year to year.
Hi can any one tell me the very best way to store begonias through winter please? A leading horticulturist says in peat, others say in paper bags and the reast say in nothing other than a box in a dark frost free condition. Also do you have to keep them moist at all or just forget about them?
hi i will take on board the advice given and give it a go.ie overwintering trailing begonias.thanks.PS,any further advice would be appreciated.
Hi can you advise me please,
I am on the south west coast of Devon and I have had the worst year in my garden in the 36 years. This year for the first time all my Begonia Apricot shades in my baskets and pots have got mildew. Can I still save the corms for next year as usual or will the mildew have affected the corms and have to be thrown away.
Also this year all my Fushia's and Geranium's have got rust, I am unable to spray as I have a pond with Koi and Goldfish are they a lost cause and need to be thrown away. I usually overwinter them in my little greenhouse. I tried taking all the infected leaves off but it still returned when the new leaves appeared.
All the gareden is kept well watered when needed in such a wet summer.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Hi, I too am in Devon north of Plymouth on the edge of the Moors
Last year I just brought the pots inside of large flowered begonias and they were great a couple I accidentally left out and they too were fine. Now I am going to bring in again I think but am aware I may get vine weevil.
I had an acanthus, Bears Breeches, which has been really badly affected by mildew for two years now. Fine previously, but about 8' away I have one which was not affected at all. The second plant was not quite as sheltered as the badly affected one I put green sulphur on it etc to no avail. Cut off the leaves finally as it looked so bad and it came again later in the summer with new leaves and was fine.
However, I dug it up and replanted in the garden where there is a better air current. I sometimes have holyhocks affected by rust but just give them a break for a few years then replant and often don't get it.
Conclusion is that the weather conditions and places in the garden are what determines these things and it is always worth trying a different arrangement for some plants even if they have blight, disease, mildew or rust it is not necessarily born from one year to the next or even one plant to the next. In theory if you dig up your corms and store them dry they should be fine.
Good Luck it has been a weird year here in the South West weatherwise but a wonderfully beautiful county to live in.
You must live very near to me duskhunter, I’m just outside Tavistock, it has indeed been a dreadful year, apart from a heatwave for about two weeks, I don’t think we’ve had a day where it hasn’t rained, some years we are bailing out bathwater to keep for plant watering, this year, all butts still full.
As you say, lots of plants mildew, but that’s usual for here too, I take no notice of that sort of thing, you’d be worrying constantly. I try to grow what’s tough and can take the weather, to make things worse, we are 960ft above sea level, so always windy.
But having lived here now for seven years, am finally sorting out what will overwinter and what grows reasonably well.
this weather does indeed keep our beautiful county green, I used to visit my family in Essex, as I drove up Country I would notice the verges and field gradually turning yellow and parched, when I got to her, she would say that there’s nothing she can do in the garden. Can’t get a fork into it.
so, I would rather have out weather than hers.???
Thank you duskhunter, I will just have to wait and see what next year brings. Hopefully the plants will be ok and fingers crossed at least slightly dryer weather for us next year.
If not I will perhaps have to change the plants I grow in the future...stop being a creature of habit.
Devon is most deffinately a glorious place to live and being born here on the English Riviera I wouldn't be anywhere else.