begonia

noun be·go·nia \ bi-ˈgō-nyə \

Updated on: 13 Apr 2018

Definition of begonia

: any of a large genus (Begonia of the family Begoniaceae, the begonia family) of tropical or subtropical herbs and shrubs that have asymmetrical leaves and are widely cultivated as ornamentals

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Recent Examples of begonia from the Web

Spend some time thinking about creating a display of geraniums, begonias, marigolds and other outdoor flowers from the Wauwatosa Woman’s Club Spring Plant Sale.

— bob dohr, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Young golfers and their families invited to Currie Park April 15 for Junior Golf Day," 9 Apr. 2018
Though hampered by its pedestrian title (the second half comes from a gift Chun has inherited from her grandfather for making begonia plants grow to phenomenal size), this film's magic extends to all things visual.

— kenneth turan, latimes.com, "Chinese animation 'Big Fish & Begonia' echoes the visual wonders of Hayao Miyazaki," 5 Apr. 2018
Flower to start from seeds: lobelia, pansies, rhodochitons, fibrous begonias, foxglove and hollyhock.

— jeff lowenfels, Anchorage Daily News, "Readers ask: Seedlings, compost and overgrown orchids," 9 Mar. 2018
Damaged growth on herbaceous or non-woody plants, such as cannas, elephant ears, birds-of-paradise, begonias, impatiens, philodendrons and gingers, may be pruned back to living tissue.

— NOLA.com, "Don't prune freeze-damaged plants just yet: 5 tips for recovering your garden," 6 Jan. 2018
In some cases such as begonias, moss rose, lantanas and angelonias that may not be possible.

— neil sperry, star-telegram, "It's easy to get carried away buying plants, but do this prep work first | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 22 Mar. 2018
Tuberous begonias should be exposed to light (concave side up).

— jeff lowenfels, Anchorage Daily News, "Readers ask: Seedlings, compost and overgrown orchids," 9 Mar. 2018
Plant summer bulbs, including gladiolus, tuberous begonias and callas.

— debbie arrington, sacbee, "What to plant now? March offers wide range of gardening opportunities | The Sacramento Bee," 2 Mar. 2018
Walliser includes a three-tiered hanging begonia basket, a berry garden in a galvanized metal utility tub and a self-watering patio container made inexpensively from two plastic storage bins.

— joanne kempinger demski, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "From pots to plots: New gardening books offer advice, ideas, inspiration," 23 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'begonia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.