Begonia Garden Angel Plum

Begonia 'Garden Angel Plum' is a wonderful perennial Begonia, the largest of the 'Garden Angel' series. This plant is spectacular, not only because of the changing and multicoloured foliage, but also due to its amazing hardiness, allowing it to withstand temperatures as low as -10 to -12°C if its stump is well protected. It behaves like a perennial, persisting in mild climates but regrowing from the stump in mid-spring if it freezes too hard. Its foliage is particularly ornamental: palmate, with a grey-pink colour veined with dark purple and frosted with silver, it is adorned in summer with very charming pink-red flowers. This extraordinary plant brings a strongly exotic touch to containers, troughs or large hanging baskets. In the garden, it will accompany hostas, ferns and all shade-loving perennials.

Begonia 'Garden Angel Plum' is part of a very recent series of hybrids, beautifully named 'Garden Angel', developed in the U.S.A from naturally cold-resistant Begonias, such as Begonia grandis subsp. evansiana and Begonia chuyunshanensis. It is a herbaceous perennial plant, belonging to the Begonia family.

 'Garden Angel Plum' has fleshy stems that develop heavily palmate leaves, a bit like maple leaves. They are thick, leathery, divided into 5 to 6 deeply dentate lobes. In 'Plum', their colour is a mixture of ashy, pink and purplish shades, with veins of very dark purple and reflections of tin or silver. Depending on the age of the leaves and the temperature, the colour evolves. This vigorous plant, almost shrubby for a Begonia, will quickly reach a height of 60cm (24in) with a diameter of 50cm (20in). Appearing in August-September, its small flowers are simple, dark pink, without frills but very fresh. They are carried by trailing peduncles.

This Begonia is ideal for open ground, in the company of shade-loving plants: hostas, ferns, Impatiens balfourii, Geranium phaeum and Asarums will be good companions. But to help it gain strength and be able to monitor and protect it from cold and gastropods, it is preferable to start its cultivation in a pot. It can be used in all shaded areas, in beds, in containers, large flowering pots, but also to create large hanging baskets, mixed with black-leaved Ipomoeas for example. In a very exotic spirit, a colourful bed can be created by associating this hardy Begonia with dwarf Cannas or Hedychiums.