Yeah, they can be tough. May I ask .. ? Was the surviving ones red ?? I have found that even in our garage, where we stored some a few years ago, which got to be freezing, the yellow and pink ones died, but 6 red begonias survived... just makes you wonder !!!

I used to love tuberous begonias but they always croaked after a while so I stopped buying them. Last year I bought 3 at a nursery (red, orange, and hot pink) and put in a hanging fiber lined basket with 3 New Guinea impatiens. They looked great all summer. I think the secret was drainage. I moved the basket into the garage for winter where it was quite cool (down in the 40's at times) and fairly dark. I watered sparingly here and there through the winter months. The impatiens gave up the ghost months ago, but I happened to notice one of the begonias sprouting out. I just moved the basket outdoors last week and noticed that the other two begonias have sprouted as well. The first one has several leaves on it now. Maybe neglect (rest) is what is needed.

Butch

Hanging basket from last year
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One begonia is white, and the pendulous variety. The other is, I think, pink (but waiting to see). I was wondering if it was the fact that they didn't get watered at all that helped keep them alive. They were under a roof overhang that kept the rain off completely, so the soil stayed pretty dry (I guess that stopped the tubers from rotting), although the humidity in the air prevented the soil from totally drying out.

Cathy.

Tuberous begonias often do better over winter if left in their pots. This is especially true of first year plants grown from seed. I remove my older tubers but leave the one year (and two year) old plants in their containers.

I cut mine off completely after the first frost kills them back. I then store them in their original pot in our heated basement. I water about once a month during the winter and put out in early May. I let them get started and then repot with new soil and lots of slow release fertilizer. All colours have done well and they are trouble free until first frost in late fall.

I have always thought that the killing frost seems to somehow shock them into going to bed for the winter. Just a silly theory I have no basis for it except that it works.