I've got some really nice tuberous begonias growing in my garden right
now, and I'd love to see them survive the winter. Do they make good
houseplants, or should I just store their tuber over the winter? At
what point should I lift them from their home in the garden? Before
the first freeze?

Thanks.

-Fleemo

Easiest to store the tubers over winter and replant in spring. Pull the
plants from their pots or the ground now and allow them to dry a couple of
days. Once the stems look dry and less fleshy, cut them off and discard,
clean the remaining tuber and store (stem side up) in a shallow tray filled
with dry peat moss in a cool dark place - basement, garage, etc. In late
March/early April or whenever your temps warm up, bring into the light,
water lightly and once you see growth buds developing, pot up and enjoy for
the next season.

pam -gardengal



I have one that I brought in last winter and put it out again this spring. I
put it in a storage room in my walkout basement in front of a N.W. window. I
cleaned it up as it died off. I only watered it maybe 3 times during the entire
winter. I put it out this spring and it was beautiful. I have it in my
diningroom now because it was still blooming when I brought it in and I wanted
to enjoy it. But the flowers are all gone now and it is just struggling to
produce new leaves so I am putting it "to sleep" in the storage room in the
basement tomorrow. I don't dig it up. It stays in the pot it has always been
in.
Sue in Mi. (Zone 5).