General Culture:

Best grown in moist, organically rich, well-drained soils in part shade to full shade. Soils should not be allowed to dry out. Winter mulch is advisable in the St. Louis area where plants are not reliably winter hardy. Deadhead flowers to extend bloom period. Self-propagates by tiny bulblets which form in the leaf axils in autumn and drop to the ground. Bulblets may also be harvested from the leaf axils and planted as desired. New season growth is usually late to appear.

Noteworthy Characteristics:

‘Wildwood Premier’ is a form of hardy begonia that is noted for its unusually attractive foliage. Large, ovate, olive-green leaves have red veining and bright red undersides. The red coloration in the leaves is more pronounced than on species plants. It is a clump-forming, tuberous-rooted perennial that typically forms a bushy mound of foliage to 2’ tall on branching stems. Drooping clusters of pink flowers (to 1” across) appear in July, sometimes blooming to frost. An introduction of Thurman Maness.