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Begonia 'Paul Hernandez' (Paul Hernandez Shrub Begonia) - One of the largest of the shrub begonias, growing moderately fast to 4-6 ft tall and wide (reported even to 8 feet in optimum conditions) with large 2 foot wide palmately-lobed leaves that are a shiny dark olive green with an attractive pustulated texture and red veins on the upper surface and a bright brick red color below. The petioles and lower leaf surface are sparsely covered with coarse reddish hairs. A bit shy to bloom in some climates, it produces large clusters of upright small white flowers with prominent yellow stamens in late winter and spring here in Santa Barbara.
Plant in morning sun to shade (red coloration best enhanced by brighter light) and irrigate regularly to occasionally but avoid overwatering. Hardy to short duration temperatures down to around 25° F. This is a great plant for adding a tropical look to the landscape though care should be taken to place in a location sheltered from the wind that can tatter its beautiful foliage.
Begonia 'Paul Hernandez' was hybridized by Patrick Worley in 1981 by crossing the tall cane species Begonia luxurians with Begonia gehrtii, a rhizomatous species with crinkled leaves and named for a family friend of Patrick's. It was introduced into the nursery trade in 1985 and has been a popular garden plant in California ever since. We received our first plant of this great plant from the late Mark Bartholomew of Hi Mark Nursery in 1999 and have grown it in the nursery since 2008.
Information displayed on this page about Begonia 'Paul Hernandez' is based on our research conducted about this plant in our nursery library as well as from information provided by reliable online resources. We also include our own observations made about it as it has grown in the nursery gardens and other gardens visited, as well how the crops of this plant performed in the containers in our nursery field. We will also include comments received from others and welcome hearing from anyone who has information about this plant, particularly if it includes cultural information aiding others to better grow it.
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