PlantFiles: Dragon Wing Begonia
Begonia 'Dragon Wing Red'

Although it bloomed great all summer,it went semi dormant here in the SF bay area,not evergreen like the Angel wing Begonia's that grow here. That was dissapointing since they never had any frost touch them. Just now, near April is it just starting to grow again out of the straggly look..
I doubt I would add more of this hybrid,as I prefer the evergreen Begonia species.

It can only be grown as a houseplant in our zone. During the summer I keep it on the porch where it gets afternoon sun, water often and fertilize once a month. During the winter it must be protected from low temperatures. I love it's vibrant color.

I love this begonia .... have to move it indoors every winter so it grows in a pot. Flowers profusely indoors and out.

I'm not a big fan of begonias as I find that in my area, they're liable to powdery mildew in the fall & mildews when grown in the house. But dragon wing begonias surpass all other begonias for ease of growing & they put on a lovely show.

They're extremely easy to grow from cuttings & I always start a number each spring to plant outside. I include them in hanging baskets, in large ground planters, & in a large pot or two by themselves. They attract a lot of attention. They do equally well in bright hot sun (with lots of water) & in shade. In shade, the blooms are more pink & in sun, they're red. Both are beautiful.

I bought an original plant 5 years ago when I saw it marked way down. They had been neglected & in hot sun with little water so looked awful but I thought it had potential. From that first plant, I've given many away & started at least a dozen for my own use.

There's no need to worry about storing them properly for the winter. Just trim a plant back & bring indoors or repot a smaller one. They're a little leggier inside from less light but still flower & look gorgeous all winter. Mine have never stopped flowering the whole time!

I have seen this plant used in entryways to several subdivisions in my area, (always staked).
I have them all over my yard, and hanging in the trees. Great for attracting butterflies and hummingbirds, while they (the butterflies) dont drink from the plant, the colour calls them to the other butterfly friendly bushes I have in the yard.
They can get very leggy, and become top heavy and break off, but the constant blooms deserve an applause and are worth the care of staking and tieing, especially in the trees!

This plant grows so beautifully in Minnesota summers outdoors. This year I brought a medium sized one inside to a south/east bay dinette and it grew beautifully all winter and bloomed and bloomed and is still blooming! I feed it every two to three months with Jobes flowering plant spikes and let the plant get to just dry before watering. I now have a large, glorious plant to move out to the deck or three season as soon as the Minnesota weather allows.
I have taken many cuttings of this plant, rooted them in a rooting glass in a south window, and given away many lovely little bloomers all winter!

Friend gave me cutting from her outdoor plant - I kept on kitchen counter all winter - southern exposure - it bloomed continuously and grew to be over 3 ft in diameter. Wonderful at Christmas. Am planting outside last week of May and will pass on cuttings to daughter and friends since it is so prolific and colorful. Will take cuttings in Fall to add color to the house again next Winter.

This plant is a cross between the Angelwing begonia and the Wax begonia, giving it the best qualities of both varieties. Blooms profusely until frost.