Trailing begonia Salmon - Begonia pendula

Begonia Pendula 'Salmon', or trailing tuberous salmon begonia, is captivating with its flexible habit and flowers that gracefully trail from a hanging basket or planter. Its salmon to peach hues brighten terraces and balconies all summer long. This plant is easy to grow in pots, in partial shade and sheltered from the wind. To keep it from year to year and encourage reflowering, overwinter its tubers protected from frost and moisture.

A member of the Begoniaceae family, this cultivar belongs to the horticultural group Pendula; these are trailing tuberous begonias developed in the 19th century from South American species.
The plant grows from a flattened tuber that sends out fleshy stems in spring, first upright, then arching. In a pot, it forms a dome 25 to 30 cm high with a spread of 35 to 45 cm. The deciduous foliage is typical of tuberous begonias: asymmetrical leaves with an oblique base, ovate to heart-shaped, with apointed tip and finely toothed margins. The leaf is medium to dark green and slightly glossy, marked by prominent palmate veins, 8 to 15 cm long by 5 to 12 cm wide, borne on fleshy red petioles; at the end of the season, the foliage yellows then dries, signalling the onset of tuber dormancy.
The flowering period extends from June to September, sometimes until October, depending on the climate: the pendulous inflorescences bear single and semi-double to double flowers, salmon tinged with rosy peach, measuring 4 to 6 cm in diameter. The male flowers are more decorative than the female flowers, which are fewer in number and have a single corolla shape.

Grow Begonia Pendula salmon in a hanging basket, a wide bowl or a planter to showcase its trailing habit. You can pair it with other tuberous begonias like Grandiflora white and Pendula white, but also with trailing plants like Plectranthus 'Variegatus' or the small speedwell Veronica umbrosa ‘Georgia Blue’.

The trailing forms of begonias from Bolivian lines were popularised from the late 19th century in flowering baskets in Europe. These displays were prized for decorating shaded verandas and covered galleries.