Q: How can I over winter Dragon Wing begonias? I hate seeing them in the compost pile after the first big freeze.

A: Dragon Wing begonia, Begonia x hybrida, and angel wing begonia, Begonia coccinea are very attractive, cane-forming begonia plants.

Like the bedding plant known as wax begonia, cane begonias do not have a tuberous bulb, only a vigorous root system. Thus the whole plants have to be brought indoors for winter.

Most gardeners simple lift them from the ground (or window box) and plant them in a pot set before a sunny window.

If the plant gets leggy indoors, take eight-inch long cuttings, strip off the lower leaves and insert into a pot filled with a moistened 1:1 mix of perlite and potting soil. The cuttings will root in four weeks.

See Cane Begonias