Prelude Plus Scarlet Begonia (Begonia semperflorens 'Prelude Plus Scarlet')
bah-GO-nyah sem-per-FLOOR-enz 'Prelude Plus Scarlet'

Deciduous Perennial (usually grown as an annual near you) in the Begoniaceae Family
 

About Begonias

 

Begonias are a profusely-flowering, low maintenance option for the garden or containers that require very little care and pack a huge punch.

 

Keep begonias’ soil moist but not soaked, check on your variety’s light preferences (depending on the variety, begonias will produce spectacular blooms in full shade all the way to full sun), and watch out for botrytis blight, a fungal leaf infection that plagues these plants in the garden. 

 

Begonias will bloom from spring to your first frost without any deadheading needed, but you can always pinch off old blooms or do some light pruning of the stems to promote a more incredible show.

 

Some (tuberous) varieties can be dug up in the fall, stored, and replanted the following spring, which makes them a great investment, and all can be potted and brought inside to spend their winters as houseplants if you just can’t live without them between gardening seasons.

 

Begonias are members of a genus (Begonia!) containing about 1400 different subtropical and tropical perennial flowering plants often grown seasonally in cooler climates.

 

Those include fibrous-rooted begonias like the wax begonias; cane stem types (angelwing begonias), characterized by their tall stems; and hairy begonias, which have felt-like leaves. Rhizomatous begonias include the rex begonias, grown for their brightly coloured and patterned leaves.

 

Rieger begonias, tuberous begonias, and whopper begonias are also popular in nurseries.

 

Pros

  • Offer tons of color, height, and green or bronze foliage options
  • Low maintenance
  • Can tolerate full shade to full sun, depending on the variety
  • Do well in containers and planted in the ground

Cons

This plant is probably not winter-hardy outdoors where you live.
 

Plant Data

Mature Size 6 - 18 inches tall. 8 - 12 inches wide.
Zones 8a - 11b (Usually hardy to 10° F)
Tags Annual in Chicago, Attracts Birds, Attracts Butterflies, Attracts Hummingbirds, Attracts Pollinators, Deciduous, Extended Bloom Time, Filler, Good for Bedding, Good for Mass Planting, Grown For Attractive Foliage, Perennial, Shade Tolerant, Showy Flowers, Tender Perennial
Bloom Period Spring - Fall
Flower Color Red
 

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Pricing and Availability History

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Limited Availability

We try very hard to source exactly what you’d like, but sometimes growers run out of plants! While this variety is a great deal at the price shown, we know that it has limited availability. If you want the plant even if it might be more expensive, or in a different size or quantity -- after you place your order, just send us a quick note at help@northshoreplantclub.com. Then, we’ll try to get you some version of this from one of our growers. And if we can’t get it from anywhere, of course, we’ll send a refund!


Field-Grown vs. Greenhouse-Grown Plants

Plants which are well-adapted to our local climate are most often field-grown (outside). Field-grown plants are generally cheaper and have the advantage of already somewhat acclimated to our cold winters, but that means they’re not artificially far along in the spring and tend to bloom at the normal time in our area.

Spring annuals and tender perennials are typically grown in Greenhouses so they can be ready and luxurious exactly when customers want them. Some perennials are also “forced” into early bloom in greenhouses. In May, there can be a very big difference between field-grown and greenhouse-grown plants of the same type. The latter typically look good right away (so they’re a great choice where that’s important), but we typically pay a premium for it.


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To secure the best prices for club members and make sure we know the current plants available from each nursery, we take orders only a couple of times a month.

Shoot us an email at help@northshoreplantclub.com, and we'll be happy to talk about plants or let you know when it's time to buy them!


No Pricing or Availability Right Now

We order from a rotating cast of the best nurseries in the Great Lakes region. It looks like we've offered this plant in the past, but the nurseries we're working with this week don't appear to have it in stock at the moment.

Our goal is to bring as many plants together under "one roof" as possible, so we'll try hard to make it available again in the future!