Types of Begonias by Class

Nursery tags often say “begonia” and a color. That hides the real buy: tuberous upright, hanging tuber, boliviensis cascade, cane/wing, rex, rhizomatous, or hardy grandis. This catalog is not wax-heavy — a wax bedding plan sends rex and tuberous rows down the wrong winter path. Class first; flower color last.

Browse 64 Begonia by class. Shade and the crown stay on How to Grow Begonias; pots on Begonias in Containers; winter paths on Overwintering Begonias.

Choose begonia by class

Ask three questions before you match a red tag: flowers or leaves first, upright or cascade, and what you will do at frost. A red upright and a red trailer are not the same pot or the same winter job.

1. Flowers or foliage? Summer bloom outdoors points to tuberous, boliviensis, or cane. Patterned leaves point to rex such as Escargot or rhizomatous such as Tiger Paws.
2. Upright or cascade? Patio pots and beds take tuberous uprights such as Nonstop Red. Baskets take hanging tubers such as Hanging Basket Scarlet or boliviensis such as Bonfire.
3. Winter path? Lift tubers, keep foliage indoors, or leave hardy grandis in the ground. One storage rule for the whole bench is how rex dies in a bag and Nonstop rots in a warm cupboard.

• Nonstop / Roseform / Picotee — tuberous upright.
• Hanging Basket / Sun Dancer — tuberous cascade.
• Bonfire / Santa Cruz / Million Kisses — boliviensis trailer.
• Dragon Wing / angel wing — cane.
• Rex / Escargot / Iron Cross — foliage first.
• Grandis / hardy begonia — outdoor return, not a Nonstop lift.

Wrong begonia buys that look like a types page

An upright Nonstop Red in a shallow hanging basket is the wrong architecture for Hanging Basket Scarlet. Same red, different pot.

Escargot and Fireworks are foliage-first. They do not take the outdoor spill culture of Bonfire.

Heron’s Pirouette and Alba return in the ground where winters allow. Lifting tubers is a Nonstop path, not a grandis default.

Dragon Wing Red and Looking Glass are cane plants. They are not the same water and light as rhizomatous Tiger Paws.

What each class offers

Hanging Basket Apricot and Santa Cruz both spill, but hanging tuberous and boliviensis are not the same storage. Escargot belongs on a bright sill, not a south bed edge beside Roseform Red.

Full catalog by class (64)

Browse all begonia by group. Bands follow class, not paint chips. Open Care, Containers, or Overwintering for method.

Tuberous upright / Nonstop-class (31)

Upright tuberous flower pots — not hanging or rex foliage.

Tuberous hanging / cascade (8)

Hanging-basket tuberous lines and Sun Dancer–class cascade.

Boliviensis / trailing (7)

Firecracker and boliviensis cascade — rim spill, not rex pots.

Cane / angel wing (3)

Upright cane stems with wing-shaped leaves — indoor-adjacent.

Rex / foliage (3)

Bright indirect rex culture — never wet crowns or hot sun.

Rhizomatous (4)

Creeping rhizome forms — houseplant or a shaded bed edge.

Hardy grandis (5)

Outdoor-return hardy begonia where climate allows — not tuber lift.

Other begonias in our library (3)

Entries without clear class cues — open the profile first.

Choose class before color: flowers vs foliage, upright vs cascade, then the winter path. This catalog is not wax-only. Browse the matching group, then open Care, Containers, or Overwintering.