Begonia x grandis Torsa - Hardy Begonia

The Begonia 'Torsa' is a natural hybrid between two botanical species, ideal for garden planting. It is hardy to a minimum of -15°C. Exotic, it develops spectacular leaves measuring 20 to 30 cm in length and width, rather rounded, carried almost horizontally and veined in red on the underside. In autumn, clusters of typical pink begonia flowers appear. This perennial begonia is a graceful plant, perfect for enhancing all slightly shaded and cool areas of the garden or a container on the balcony.

The Begonia 'Torsa' is a perennial plant with its swollen and tuberised stump belonging to the Begoniaceae family. It originates from Begonia grandis and an unidentified Himalayan species. B. grandis is the only begonia species capable of withstanding strong ground frost. It is native to the moist and cool forests of China. From its stump, which widens over the years, fleshy, somewhat succulent, jointed stems with each node tinged with red emerge quite late in spring, in April-May. Together, they form a bushy clump reaching between 60 and 80 cm in height with a minimum width of 50 cm. The stems bear large oval leaves, elongated heart-shaped, medium green on top and pale red with prominent wine-red veins on the underside. Bulblets or more precisely mini tubercles develop at the axil of the leaves, contributing to the begonia's dissemination. From September onwards, it continuously produces numerous small flowers of a pretty bright pearly pink, carried by reddish stems, which only cease with the arrival of the first frosts. The very small flowers borne by slender peduncles are clustered together. They give way to trailing fruits, triangular in shape and pink in colour, almost as decorative as the flowers. In autumn, due to the cold, the begonia's vegetation decomposes and disappears. The plant goes into dormancy, leaving only its tuberised stump to spend the winter underground. The bulblets that form from September at the axil of the leaves fall to the ground and root in spring. These 'babies' often bloom in the first year.

This hardy begonia enhances shaded areas of the garden. It likes partial shade, rich, cool and even moist soils in summer, preferably acidic to neutral. It is interesting to associate this plant, which regenerates its vegetation quite late in spring, with spring bulbs that will occupy the space at the end of winter such as snowdrops, daffodils, tulips, anemones. It can also be paired with plants for cool to moist shade such as rodgersias, lungworts and ferns, Podophyllums or Farfugiums. Among lesser-known plants, also consider the Impatiens omeiana 'Ice Storm' with its superb foliage or the Isodon longituba with blue tubular flowers. It will also look beautiful in front of hydrangeas, among toad lilies (Tricyrtis) and hellebores.