From the Ground Up: There's a Begonia for every garden

The National Garden Bureau has declared 2016 The Year of the Allium, The Year of the Delphinium, the Year of the Carrot, and the Year of the Begonia. Begonias are really fascinating and a great plant for everyone to try this year.

There are more than 1,700 different species, which makes 'Begoniaceae' one of the most diverse classes of plants. Begonias are found wild growing from South and Central America to India, dating back in literature to 14th century China. In present day United States, begonias are cultivated, mostly by cuttings since the seed is so tiny it makes growing from seed very difficult. This interesting plant was in garden production as far back as 1873, but the first F1-Hybrid ornamental begonia (which is selective breeding by cross pollinating two plants) was introduced in 1909. This hybrid changed the horticulture industry, because now begonias could be grown on a large, commercial scale.

There is a begonia for every spot in the garden. The most common begonia for bedding plants is the Wax Begonia (Begonia semperflorens-cultorum). These are small mounds (8 to 12 inches) with green or red foliage and loaded with little blooms ranging from white to pink to red. They'll thrive in both sun or shade. Tuberous begonias (Begonia Tuberosa) are popular for containers. They have thicker stems, larger leaves and big double blooms in bright, intense colors. These prefer some shade. One of my favorites is the cascading begonia (Begonia boliviensis). This plant has foliage similar to tuberous begonias, but it's smooth, narrow and branches over containers, with trumpet shaped blooms. Within the types of begonias you'll see a wide variety offered at your garden center like Santa Cruz, Bada Bing, Bassa Nova, and Cocktail.

Some Begonias are grown strictly for gorgeous foliage. These are the Rex begonias (B. rex), Rhizomatous begonias, and Mason's begonia (B. masoniana). The foliage varies wildly with different colors, patterns, leaf textures, sizes and shapes. These begonias are excellent additions to shady containers or are well grown as houseplants since they prefer low light.

The Begonia hybrids (B. hybrida) feature a wide variety of plants that are breed with cross pollination to spotlight certain features. A popular hybrid is Dragon Wing.

There also is a Begonia that is sold as a flowering houseplant for gifting. This is the Begonia (hiemalis) sometimes called the Reiger begonia. These typically have small to medium double flowers that look like little roses, available in a wide variety of colors. These make lovely blooming houseplants.

So a Begonia is not just a 'begonia.' With more than 1,700 different species, you're sure to find one, or several that would be well suited for your garden this growing season.

Don't forget to register for the Linn County Master Gardener Winter Gardening Fair on March 5 here.

• For gardening questions, call the Linn County Extension Master Gardener Hortline at (319) 447-0647.