Days to Maturity: 91 to 105
Typically grown as an annual, Cocktail™ Vodka Begonia, an F1 hybrid, is a tender perennial (winter hardy in Zones 10-11) offering summer through fall interest. Heavy- and ever-blooming, Cocktail Vodka blankets its thick, waxy, dark bronze leaves in loose clusters of red flowers throughout the season. And the flowers are pollinator friendly.
A member of the Semperflorens Cultorum Group, commonly called wax begonias, Cocktail Vodka has a compact, bushy, mounding habit. Shown to best effect massed or grouped, waxed begonia is ideal for small flowerbeds and containers and makes nice edging.
Tough, low maintenance, and easy to grow from seed, waxed begonias grow best in sunny to dappled sun locations with average to moderately fertile, moist, well-draining soils, having an acidic pH between 5.5 and 6.2. The plants benefit from consistent moisture, good air circulation, and frequent fertilization with a complete balanced fertilizer. Waxed begonias tolerate heat, humidity, and some drought, but they will not tolerate frost. They are typically black walnut and rabbit resistant.
Direct sow begonia seed into the garden in spring after the chance of frost has passed and the soil has warmed or start seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost date and transplant.
This seed comes as a pellet. Pelleted seeds are small seeds that have been clay-coated to make them larger and more uniform in size and shape, making them easier to handle when planting.
