The Dragon Wing Begonia A Vigorous Bloomer, Heat Tolerant Plant...

About The Dragon Wing Begonia

While I have seen the Dragon Wing Begonia planted in many other gardens, I cannot understand why I have never planted this vigorous grower before this year.

In our beach area we had four half wine barrels in which I mistakenly planted sun loving plants. The Wave Petunia did poorly as did the Lantana. The neighbours oak trees simply blocked too much of the afternoon sun.

The obvious decision was to plant Shade Plants and plant them in smaller square containers giving us more room on the beach. Off to the front of the house went the four half barrels.

The four new oblong cedar planters are now home to the Dragon Wing Begonia, an annual that loves shade or a part shade location.

The Dragon Wing is a cross between two species of begonias, one being the wax begonia. It has an upright, round growth habit and grows to a huge plant with continuous red blooms, so give it plenty of room if planting in a container.

Bees and butterflies enjoy the numerous red blooms (pink is also available) and believe it or not slugs love it too! I have picked the slimey slugs off both the leaves and the flowers.

How To Grow the Dragon Wing Begonia

As mentioned earlier, this annual grows to be quite large, so give it space if planting in the ground and give it plenty of room if planting in a container. I plant one begonia for each 12 inch pot. It prefers a well drained soil with lots of organic matter. I have read that it is heat and drought tolerant. However, I also know that it does not like to dry out.

It is a hungry plant so give it fertilizers every two weeks. A fish emulsion works as does liquid seaweed.

I find that as the Dragon Wing grows, it does get a bit top heavy and hangs, making it great for hanging baskets. I guess you could call this annual the thriller and spiller plant. It would also look great in a tiered shade garden.

It really doesn't require deadheading as the spent flowers normally fall off all by themselves. I still, however, remove the stems to keep the plant looking tidy. I also remove any of the leaves that might be browning or cracked at the edges.

The Dragon Wing can grow to 2 feet tall and at the end of the season it can be cut back and taken inside for the winter. Prior to taking inside, spray the plant with an insecticidal soap, wrap in a clear plastic bag and wait for a couple of hours. This will kill any bugs lingering on the glossy, dark green pointed leaves.

Great companions: the Colorblaze Coleus, Lava Rose Coleus or the Stained Glassworks Coleus.

Check out my Site Index Page for a listing of additional annuals and perennials to plant in your flower garden design.

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