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Time to protect them as temperatures drop. Find out more.
Published Dec 02, 2025 • Last updated 2 hours ago • 1 minute read
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Helen Chesnut advises on timing and care for begonias as the winter season approaches. Photo by Helen ChesnutArticle content
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Q. This was my first year gardening at the coast and I’ve been surprised at how long into autumn the hanging basket begonias have stayed full of foliage and bloom. Perhaps it’s because November was surprisingly (to me) mild. Now, however, only a little foliage remains on the plants. What is the best way of handling them now? There’s been no frost yet, where I live, but it cannot be far away.
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A. It is probably best, at this point, to bring the baskets into the shelter of a house wall, under a broad roof overhang. Leave the remaining stems to fall away on their own. Breaking them off with force, prematurely, can damage a tuber’s growth ring. Keeping the plants growing for as long as possible also helps to ensure development of the most fully nourished tubers possible.
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At this point, though, I would give the remaining stems a gentle nudge. I often find that, at this point in autumn, most will fall away with a slight pressure that causes no damage.
If space is available, the baskets holding the tubers can be placed in a frost-free storage place, ideally at temperatures between 4 and 10 C. It is more usual to carefully unearth the tubers for more space-efficient winter storage. Keep their labels with them for clear identification at spring planting time.
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I brush excess planting mix off the tubers and store them single-layered in shallow boxes with a light covering of vermiculite or peat. Vermiculite works best for me.
Check on the tubers a few times over the winter. Any sign of shrivelling indicates a need to spray-mist the storage medium lightly. It can also indicate that the tubers need cooler storage temperatures. Avoid over-dampening the medium, which can cause mould.
Start the tubers back into growth indoors, at winter’s end, when pink nubs of growth appear on the tuber tops. Early March is the timing I aim for.
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