Where to Buy Red Switzerland Begonia

I really like the look of Red Switzerland Begonias but have not had
much luck searching online. This place sells tubers, but I prefer potted
plants:
http://www.michiganbulb.com/product/Switzerland_Begonia

I'll call more local places but so far no luck.

They sure are pretty!
http://www.michiganbulb.com/fullsize/758/22

This message was edited May 5, 2014 9:06 PM

PeteB7 you should read the comments in DG Watchdog before using Michigan Bulb. The link is http://davesgarden.com/products/gwd/c/186/.

Personally I would only order from them if there were no other options.

The stems on Tuberous begonias snap easily, shipping a plant can be iffy. The do grow quickly from bulbs however so if you do find a reliable source, I would advise you go that route unless you can find something closer to home. Have you called Logee's in Danielson, CT and asked about them? They have a lot of material that is not on their website. Another place that carries a lot of tuberous begonias is White Flower Farm in Litchfield. They may be able to refer you to a source if they don't have them.

BTW, they really are pretty, the dark foliage is striking.

Some vendors change names in hopes of making more sales. I'd do a search for red tuberous begonias and go from there. Michigan Bulbs does have a terrible reputation so if you do order, only order the minimum to begin with.

Buying locally will often be your best bet - you get to inspect the plant instead of relying on doctored photos, are typically larger (most photos show a mature plant instead of what you will actually get), and most times cheaper too.

You might try Golden State Bulb Growers except they are wholesale it appears. They say they sell online retail but the link seems broken.

Here is a perspective on this company from one of the breeders there.

http://begoniafields.blogspot.com/2012/08/begonia-breeding-at-golden-state-bulb.html

Thanks for the warnings and all the information, fascinating!

It looks like Golden State Bulb Growers calls it the Dark Leaf Red Tuberous Begonia,
picture about 1/3 of the way down this page:
http://begoniafields.blogspot.com/2012/08/begonia-breeding-at-golden-state-bulb.html

One of the better local garden centers just got in their non-stop red Begonias but they are not dark leaf. I purchased some red and whites.

Another garden center had huge potted begonia plants but the last 2 of the largest pot that they had were orange and I didn't get them. They had many yellows in a slightly smaller pot.

You can find them at Tulipworld.com too. See http://www.tulipworld.com/begonias-bulbs/switzerland-begonia.html.

I recently made a purchase from them of other items. I also had a special request with my order.

They responded to my request promptly and shipped in a very timely manner.

Thanks very much! I might buy those also, but it says to plant in early Spring, do I keep them cool and plant them next season or can I just go ahead and plant them now?

I don't know the answer to that question as I live where I can still plant them.

Hopefully someone in your zone can be more helpful.

I don't grow tuberous begonias myself but I am curious, how long does it take for the plant to fully develop and bloom? Obviously it would be best to plant it in the spring so it could be in full bloom for the entire summer but what would happen if it were planted later?

I called Tulipworld and the lady said that they are in a similar zone and she just did hers and expects blooms July or August. Here is more about them:
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=815

Go for it Pete!

I ended up getting them locally and they were very nice last season, and I brought the entire pots into the garage close to the house side for the winter.
All the stems broke off at the end of the season, I guess that the tubers were still in there.

Brought them back out a couple of weeks ago and they are doing nothing.

Today, I see that some animal dug just at the surface and I think ate the plants!!!!

These were non-stops that I bought locally not the Red Switzerland but still, they were nice.

I'm going to sift through and see if any are left, some were also eaten at the end of the season last year.

This message was edited May 7, 2015 6:00 PM

Ah, the joys of gardening, huh?

Ha! Thanks yes, I'm really curious to find out what animal is coming so close to my front door!