Begonia plants: 4 things to know

Happiest when grown in containers in filtered shade, tuberous begonias produce big, richly coloured blossoms packed with velvety (and edible) petals. Here are four points to keep in mind when growing and caring for begonias.

The begonia plant was named by French patron of botany Charles Plumier, in honour of Michel Bégon, a former governor of the French colony of San Domingo.

• Unlike the wax begonias you can use to edge sunny flowerbeds, tuberous begonias grow from flattened tubers.
• If you give them good care, it's easy to keep them for many years.

• In spring, buy high-quality large tubers, because big tubers produce more flowers.
• Invest in a premium-quality potting soil for your tuberous begonias, too.
• An extra handful of peat moss mixed into each pot will help to keep the roots moist and free of disease.

• To plant tubers, find the small point on the top, which is the concave side of the tuber, and plant it so that it is barely covered with potting soil.
• The new shoots will grow their way up to the light at the surface.

If you can't identify the concave top, plant the tubers on their sides.

• Plant three tubers per 15-centimetre pot.
• Keep the soil lightly moist and place the planted containers in a spot where the temperatures stay slightly above room temperature.

• Fertilize plants weekly throughout the summer, using a balanced, water-soluble plant food mixed at half the strength recommended on the package.

Clip off old blooms to encourage the formation of new buds.

Bring pots indoors before the first fall frost and let them dry out.

• Clip off the old stems and place the almost-dry pots in a cool room. In spring, empty the pots and replant the tubers in clean pots filled with fresh potting soil.