Begonia semperflorens Gumdrop Coco Red

The Begonia Gumdrop Coco Red is a superb annual Begonia with double red flowers on very dark foliage. All its flowers resemble small double roses. The plant forms a compact and rounded clump with glossy bronze-chocolate foliage, very floriferous until the first frosts. This variety, whose faded flowers eliminate themselves, maintains a very neat appearance, without maintenance. Its clump is well-branched. This easy-to-grow annual plant is adopted without reservation, in pots, hanging baskets, or in borders, in the sun to enhance the foliage colour, or in partial shade.

The Begonia Gumdrop Coco Red is a non-hardy herbaceous perennial plant, grown as an annual, belonging to the Begoniaceae family. It is a complex hybrid resulting from several species native to South America: Chile, Mexico, and Brazil. This variety is part of a series of recent cultivars with a well-rounded and branched habit. It has tender but sturdy, fleshy stems covered with coriaceous, rounded leaves of a beautiful bronze-chocolate colour, shiny, about 5 cm (2in) long. This very bushy plant quickly reaches 25 to 30 cm (10 to 12in) in all directions. Appearing in April-May and lasting until the first frosts, its abundant flowers are all double, as white as snow. They are gathered in numerous terminal clusters and open among very elegant foliage, which is even more colourful when the plant is grown in the sun. This variety tolerates partial shade well, as well as full sun and heat, without preventing it from flowering. It also shows good drought tolerance. Its sterile flowers naturally fade and fall, reducing maintenance to a minimum.

This Begonia Gumdrop Coco Red is ideal for full sun, but it can also be placed in partial shade. It is used in borders, containers, balconies, or in large flowering pots. It pairs well with plants with light foliage and flowers, such as lobelias, annual Pennisetum, Bacopa, Bidens, but also with petunias. It is sometimes forgotten, but annual begonias can be used to hide a fence, fill an empty area, or accompany a colorless shrub. In a more exotic spirit, a colourful border can be created by combining this Begonia with cannas or Hedychiums. Finally, it is good to know that there are hardy begonias, such as Begonia grandis.

Note: Attention, our young plug plants are professional products reserved for experienced gardeners: upon receipt, repot and store them under cover (greenhouse, cold frame, etc.) at a temperature above 14°C (57.2°F) for a few weeks before being planted outdoors once the risk of frost is definitively avoided.