I can't find the original thread on Begonias, not even sure if it was in this forum but here goes.

After our recent hard freeze there is a lot of dead foliage in my garden. I was cleaning off a rex I thought for sure was toast as it was in a clay pot (8" shallow) but it surprised me. Not only did it live but it has escaped the pot and a good sized piece has rooted in the soil. It is about to bloom also. This is the typical time of year for most of my rexes to bloom.

Looks like it found a Happy Place. Begonias seem to like the cold temps. I have only one Rex type Begonia in a hanging basket, bought it on clearance last year, the summer heat took a toll on it, but has perked up since the cooler weather. Maybe I should toss it to the ground and see what happens.

The other begonia thread is in Houseplants
The thread "Show your Begonias" in Houseplants forum

I would love for begonias to be hardy here. I do have B. grandis.

So how low did your temps get? I would guess that the ground didn't freeze or the pot?

That looks like it's going to explode, Alice! I can't wait to see it in a few months.

I've had Beefsteak Begonia rhizomes stay alive over winter in the ground here, in a dormant leafless state. Cane Begonias also usually survive by the roots but don't grow enough the next year to use them as herbaceous perennials here. The ground doesn't freeze here, but the interval from the first frost to the last is usually 3-4 months. The gardening line between zones 7 and 8 is the frozen ground line.

I started a discussion about herbaceous perennials in SE forum but there doesn't seem to be much interest in non-evergreen plants in FL & bordering states. I'm from OH, where almost all garden plants go dormant for winter, so it seems perfectly normal to me. I think it's the best of both worlds, frost eliminates worries about these things being invasive, but one can enjoy small versions of them during the warm part of the year.
https://garden.org/thread/go/9...

Houseplants! I never thought to look there. The ground does not freeze here and we were only below freezing for 12 hours. We got down to 27 - 29 depending on who you ask.

Loretta, there are a number of begonias that might be hardy for you. There is a fellow in the Mid Atlantic somewhere that has developed quite a few hardy ones. I can't think of his name offhand but when it comes to me I'll let you know. He posts in the Mid Atlantic Gardening on Facebook. It seems like his are mostly rexes.

What about wax begonias? They seem pretty indestructible.

Yes, in the Southeast they are often hardy but not further north.

They can survive here under a pile of leaves. Just have to remember to move the leaves later. But I love to bring waxes inside because they keep blooming all winter.

Loretta, it is John Boggan and it is Mid Atlantic Tropics not gardening. If you are on Facebook this is but one example, he has quite a few if you can go back and read his posts.

Here is a good article on hardy begonias. Let me know if you hit a paywall and I can copy and paste.
https://lscpagepro.mydigitalpu...

That is a great article!! I wish the pics were labeled. I don't think I've ever seen B. grandis @ a store. I would love to have a lot of that, even if they aren't "flashy".

Thanks for the information, Alice. I started reading the article and it is interesting. I am glad you clarified the FB group as I couldn't find a hit on the first name. I will look through it.
Well I don't really consider begonias variegated but they do have patterns so we might as well post some leaves.
Cowardly Lion has been a good one for me.

The Rex Begonias are really pretty, they started showing up more around here the past couple years in garden centers, but then end up on the clearance racks half dead, obviously other FL gardeners already knew they don't like the heat here.

I had a Rex Cissus discolor vine many years ago, it really did well in a shady area, unfortunately I left it out when we had temps into the upper 20's and lost it, I've never seen one again, or I would buy it.

Gorgeous! I had one of those vines before too. Not an actual Begonia, but does a great imitation!
Rex Begonia Vine (Cissus discolor)

I managed to keep it alive over one winter then put it in the ground hoping the roots would survive but they did not.

Sherri, I have never had trouble with Rexes and heat. I have had some of my plants for years. I even have some big canes in full sun. You do have to be careful with watering during the hot months, too much and they will rot. Fortunately I am a lazy gardener and often lax about watering. Interestingly, I have had trouble with the Harmony plants that are grown in Sorrento, FL. Those are the ones I see most often in the nurseries these days. I can't keep a 'Red Robin' alive.

Alice, well that's good to know, this is the only Rex I've ever had besides the vine, it's not dead yet...LOL. I just had other gardeners say they don't do well here and I see them on clearance shelves often half dead, we'll see how this one does once it warms up again. This was back in July, it doesn't look that good now.

I do have Angel wing cane begonias for many years in my garden. Those I have no problems with at all, they love Florida heat, and freezing temps don't ever bother them either.

I also have this NOID begonia from a gal down in the Keys, started as a leaf clipping, it has really big leaves and gets pink flowers. Maybe someone knows what it is?

I love that green one. The red looks like 'Red Robin', my nemesis.

I have a serious problem. I've never seen a Begonia I didn't love.

Same here. After we sold our last home we lived in a rental until we found this house. I was taking cuttings of my begonias each time we moved and some made it some did not. I am slowly building up the collection again.
This is one called 'Gray Feather' that I found at our local ACE hardware in December.
It was just a few cuttings stuck in a pot. Boy has it grown, that is an 8" pot. I can't wait to see what it does when I put it outside in the next week or two. Trying to decide if I should separate the plants, my thoughts are to leave it together and take cuttings as it grows. What do you think?

I think it's wonderful! It almost looks like some kind of elephant ears.