Begonias

There has been a steady trickle of hardy or nearly hardy Begonias becoming available in recent years and I have been trying some of them out in the garden. I have also been experimenting with planting out varieties normally regarded as house plants, to see how they do, or if not planting them out, standing them out in pots in shadier parts of the garden. It has of course brought a wide range of varieties to my attention, some of which will no doubt turn out to be suitable only for indoor cultivation. They are extraordinarily varied and almost all of them are beautiful; my enthusiasm for them continues to grow. Here is a list of most of what I’m currently growing.

Hardy types, in Cornwall, UK.
B. grandis ‘Nanjiang Silver’
B. grandis ‘Sapporo’
B. grandis ‘Heron’s Pirouette’
B. grandis ssp sinensis BWJ8011A ‘Red Undies’
B. grandis pink and white forms.

Varieties that have survived at least one winter left in the ground.
B. ‘Wavy Green’
B. palmata ‘Tye Dye’
B. ‘Garden Angel Blush’
B. U614
B. sutherlandii

Varieties that may survive winter in the ground, based on what I have read about them.
B. ‘Torsa’
B. ‘Mishmi Silver’
B. tengchiana
B. aff. panchtharensis
B. koelzii
B. ‘Garden Angel Silver’
B. omeiensis
B. ‘Cool Breeze Emerald’

Varieties that I know not to be hardy or have no reason to think would be hardy.
B. ‘Snowcap’
B. ‘Connie Boswell’
B. ‘Gryphon’
B. ‘Dark Eyes’
B. luxurians
B. sizemoriae
B. baviensis
B. ‘Sophie Cecile’
B. hatacoa
B. hatacoa silver
B. listada
B. carolineifolia
B. fuchsioides
B. ‘Glowing Embers’
B. ‘Summerwings Ebony and Orange’
B. ‘Lucerna’
B. ‘Pollux’
B. boliviensis ‘Firecracker’
B. ‘Merrymaker’
B. ‘Saunders Legacy’
B. ‘Xanthina Marmorea’