Begonia - Hybrid Archives - The Salty Knitter

Megawatt Begonia, Biggest of the Big

I know we’ve still got plenty of summer left, but I can’t wait until September to gush over my Megawatt Begonia. In my flowerbeds, they have clearly proven they are the biggest of the really big begonias.

Amazing Flower Power!

The color I have is Pink Bronze Leaf and I planted mine on the May long weekend. They started flowering within a week or two and have flowered like crazy ever since.

Heat and Drought tolerant!

These begonia have proven their heat tolerance through some seriously hot weather and continued to flower right through it. After the first week or two, I’ve only watered once a week at most, usually less, and we’ve had very little rain here this summer.

The series comes from PanAmerican Seed, the same company behind the popular Dragon Wing and Baby Wing series of Begonia. In my opinion this begonia has some serious star power.

I planted mine in a bed that receives just a couple of hours of morning sun and it is thriving. Megawatt Begonia have these wonderful beefy stems and grows with a well branched upright habit, perfect for show stopping planters. One one each side of an entrance would look amazing!

The blooms on Megawatt Pink Bronze Leaf Begonia are huge, showy clusters above thick glossy bronze leaves, and they flower profusely. I really can’t say enough about how gorgeous these begonias are.

Megawatt Begonia at a glance:

Height

Megawatt Begonia will reach heights of 20-28″ (51-71 cm).

Spread

Megawatt Begonia will need plenty of room so be sure to space them 12-16″ (30-41 cm) apart.

Vigor & Size

Megawatt Begonia is a monster of a begonia. It has well branched hearty stems and large leaves to support the showy flowers. I have not pinched or fertilized mine.

Foliage Color

Megawatt Begonia is available in both green-leaved and bronze-leaved varieties. Bronze-leaved varieties are earlier to flower than green-leaved.

Flower Color

For 2017 Megawatt will be available in Pink Bronze Leaf, Rose Bronze Leaf, Red Green Leaf, and Rose Green Leaf. Flowers are huge with no need to deadhead.

Flower Season

Just like the popular Dragon Wing series, Megawatt flowers from spring through to frost.

Exposure

Part Sun, but will probably do just fine in shadier locations as well. It is worth noting that of the three I have, the one that gets a couple more hours of sun is taller than the other two.

If you’re looking for a continuous flowering showy annual, be sure to pin this one for your wish list!

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Hybrid or Interspecific Begonia

Up until last April I rarely thought about begonias and if I did think about them I was thinking of ‘wax’ or ‘seed’ begonia. Those flats of annuals with their tightly packed fleshy leaves that are usually planted in a line along the edge of a garden bed.

And while those begonia still have a place in shade gardens, especially with the downy mildew issues that have affected Impatiens, these next four begonia are something all-together different.

Dragon Wing Begonia

These are the huge showy plants you’re most likely to see in municipal planters and gardens. And why wouldn’t you? Sun, Shade or anything between they put on a fabulous show until first frost. Dragon Wing begonia are to shade what petunias are to sun, only even better because they have a longer season.

Usually they’re sold in hanging baskets or 5-6″ pots, last year I was lucky enough to find them in 6 packs so I bought a flat of them.

In September they were still flowering like crazy and holding their own against that horrible chameleon weed. Dragon Wing is available in either Pink or Red with green leaves only.

BIG Begonia

Another new to me variety, I tried this one out last year too. BIG begonia are suitable for full sun to full shade and everything between.

With its more upright habit, BIG begonias are perfect for planters and landscape use. I grew it in the lower level of this corner bed.

Santa Cruz and San Francisco top level, Big series begonia in Pink and Rose in the lower level.

By the end of the season, it was as tall as the begonia in the top level and it never stopped flowering.

Flower colors of Pink, Rose, and Red are all available with either green leaves or bronze leaves.

Megawatt Begonia

New for 2017, Megawatt is another upright hybrid begonia, perfect for landscape and planters. From the same company as Dragon Wing, it has those nice big glossy leaves. Initially offered in 4 colors, Pink Bronze Leaf, Rose Bronze Leaf, Red Green Leaf and Rose Green Leaf and recommended for part sun.

I will be trying the Bronze Leaved Pink this year.

Already I’m super impressed with the Megawatt Begonias well branched beefy stems.

Surefire Begonia

Surefire are a green leaved hybrid Begonia in Pink and Red by Proven Winners. They are suitable for sun or shade. In growth habit, they so far seem very similar to the BIG begonias.

Side by Side comparison

Lower Level – Megawatt Pink w/Bronze Leaves. Upper Level – Surefire Red and BIG Pink w/Bronze Leaves

For my own satisfaction, I decided to do a bit of a side by side comparison of the biggest of the big. This bed gets an average of two hours of sun per day, with the front dead center getting three to four. I’m interested to see what, if any, difference there are between these three varieties.

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