Growing Wax Begonia: A Complete Profile
By Growing Home Greens Team · August 20, 2026
Wax begonia is the low, glossy-leaved bedding plant that flowers steadily from summer into autumn in shade.
Twelve weeks for a two-foot plant
The seed is close to dust, and the seedlings are correspondingly slow. Our calendar starts it twelve weeks before the last frost, surface sown because it needs light. That is longer than a tomato needs, for a plant that finishes under two feet.
There is no shortcut, which is why nurseries sell it as starts and why buying a tray is a sensible decision rather than a cop-out.
Shade, and it does not sulk about it
NC State Extension lists partial to deep shade as preferred. It reaches 8 inches to 2 feet tall and 9 to 12 inches wide, flowering summer and fall. Perennial in zones 10 and 11, annual elsewhere.
The waxy leaves hold water well, which makes it more drought tolerant than most shade annuals once established.
Bronze or green leaves
The bronze-leaved forms take more sun than the green-leaved ones. If a square gets afternoon light, that is the distinction to shop on.
Source: NC State Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox, Begonia.
Companion planting guide for Wax Begonia · Find your planting dates
Typically viable in USDA zones 3-11. Not sure your zone? Look it up by ZIP code.
Mature height: 0.5-2 ft
Method: Start indoors: Start indoors from seed, then transplant outside. It needs a head start most zones can't give it by direct-sowing alone.
When to plant wax begonia, by zone
Every zone wax begonia grows in. Pick your zone in the header and it will be highlighted here. Each zone links to its full page.
| Zone | Start indoors | Sow or plant out | Bloom |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3a & 3b | Mar 7–Mar 14 | Jun 13–Jun 20 | Sep 11–Sep 18 |
| 4a & 4b | Feb 20–Feb 27 | May 29–Jun 5 | Aug 27–Sep 3 |
| 5a & 5b | Feb 15–Feb 22 | May 24–May 31 | Aug 22–Aug 29 |
| 6a & 6b | Jan 31–Feb 7 | May 9–May 16 | Aug 7–Aug 14 |
| 7a & 7b | Jan 16–Jan 23 | Apr 24–May 1 | Jul 23–Jul 30 |
| 8a & 8b | Dec 31–Jan 7 | Apr 8–Apr 15 | Jul 7–Jul 14 |
| 9a & 9b | Nov 23–Nov 30 | Mar 1–Mar 8 | May 30–Jun 6 |
| 10a & 10b | Nov 7–Nov 14 | Feb 13–Feb 20 | May 14–May 21 |
| 11a & 11b | Oct 9–Oct 16 | Jan 15–Jan 22 | Apr 15–Apr 22 |
Bloom dates are about 90 days after the sow or plant-out date, not after starting seeds indoors.
See exact start-indoors, direct-sow, and harvest dates for your zone →
How many Wax Begonia plants fit per square foot?
Spacing: 2 per square foot (square-foot-gardening spacing). Mature height: 0.5-2 ft.
Varieties worth considering
- Viking XL Red on Chocolate (F1) (best for: sun and big beds): A 2019 All-America Selections winner: a wax begonia hybrid with red flowers over deep bronze-brown leaves that judges said stayed sharp all season. It also showed strong disease resistance in the trials and takes full sun to part sun. It's much bigger than a typical wax begonia, about 28 to 34 inches tall, so give it room. (source)
Why each variety is listed comes from the source shown next to it. We haven't grown these ourselves yet, so treat this as a research-backed starting point, not a personal endorsement. The buy links are separate from those sources: they go to seed suppliers that sell that exact variety, and we may earn a commission on some of them.
Where to buy wax begonia seeds
None of the seed suppliers we list carries wax begonia seeds right now. A local garden center or a specialty seed house is the place to look.
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See it growing
Search YouTube for "growing wax begonia" videos → (a live search, not a hand-picked video; results vary and aren't vetted by us)
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Growing Wax Begonia: A compact shade annual that takes twelve weeks indoors from dust-fine seed, which is why most people buy starts.
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