Contrary to what the name might suggest, the ice begonia (bot. Begonia semperflorens) is not hardy at all. The name is more due to the easily breaking foliage. The Ice Begonia is also known as Schiefblatt or God's Eye.

Ice begonias cannot overwinter in the garden

Can ice begonias be overwintered?

In the trade you will usually find ice begonia among annual garden plants. This is because they are quite inexpensive. Therefore, ice begonias are most often discarded and, if necessary, bought new in the spring. This is not necessary, because you can also overwinter your ice begonias. They are perennial, but absolutely do not tolerate frost. They freeze to death at around 0 °C.

How and where do I overwinter my ice begonias?

You should definitely overwinter your ice begonias frost-free, even in moderate heat of about 16 °C to 20 °C. A greenhouse is suitable, for example, but also an unheated or moderately heated conservatory. If your Ice Begonia gets enough light, it may even continue to flower throughout the winter.

In winter, your ice begonia does not need any fertilizer at all and usually a little less water than in the summer months. Before watering, check whether the soil has really dried out a bit, because the ice begonia does not tolerate moisture well.

As long as it is in full bloom, you should not change anything about the care. Despite the abundance of flowers, the plant does not need a lot of nutrients. Under no circumstances should you cut back ice begonias in autumn, and cleaning them out is usually not necessary.

Care in late winter and spring

If the winter and with it the flowering splendor of your ice begonia is slowly coming to an end, then you can cut back the plant a little and possibly repot it immediately. Gradually getting used to the fresh air, the ice begonia can move back to the balcony after the Ice Saints.

The essentials in brief:

  • perennial, but not hardy
  • tolerate absolutely no frost
  • like to hibernate at approx. 16 °C to 20 °C
  • can also bloom in winter

tips

If you want your ice begonias to survive the winter, you need to bring them to a frost-free winter quarters in good time in the fall.

Category:

Indoor plants