Plant Care Library

Group/Class:  Tophat Series

Brand:  Syngenta

Description:

An attractive begonia presenting large scarlet blooms sitting on top of dark green foliage; from shade to sun, this selection is ideal for hanging baskets, containers, accent planting and borders; heat and humidity tolerant

Ornamental Features

Tophat™ Scarlet Begonia features showy scarlet orchid-like flowers with yellow centers at the ends of the stems from mid spring to early fall. Its attractive glossy lobed leaves remain dark green in color with distinctive dark red edges throughout the season.

Landscape Attributes

Tophat™ Scarlet Begonia is an herbaceous annual with a mounded form. Its medium texture blends into the garden, but can always be balanced by a couple of finer or coarser plants for an effective composition.

This is a high maintenance plant that will require regular care and upkeep, and should not require much pruning, except when necessary, such as to remove dieback. Deer don't particularly care for this plant and will usually leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Tophat™ Scarlet Begonia is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Border Edging
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting
• Hanging Baskets

Planting & Growing

Tophat™ Scarlet Begonia will grow to be about 20 inches tall at maturity, with a spread of 24 inches. When grown in masses or used as a bedding plant, individual plants should be spaced approximately 12 inches apart. Its foliage tends to remain dense right to the ground, not requiring facer plants in front. This annual will normally live for one full growing season, needing replacement the following year.

This plant does best in full sun to partial shade. You may want to keep it away from hot, dry locations that receive direct afternoon sun or which get reflected sunlight, such as against the south side of a white wall. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is not particular as to soil pH, but grows best in rich soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by cuttings; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Tophat™ Scarlet Begonia is a fine choice for the garden, but it is also a good selection for planting in outdoor containers and hanging baskets. It can be used either as 'filler' or as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination, depending on the height and form of the other plants used in the container planting. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.