My Deer Garden

Plant record · Annual · Begoniaceae

Is Wax Begonia deer resistant?

Begonia semperflorens

Wax begonia with red flowers and glossy bronze leaves
Photo by Zythème, CC0. Via Wikimedia Commons.
Damage step 3 of 4 · Occasionally Severely Damaged

Partly. Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.

Type
Annual
Hardiness
Grown as an annual, any zone
Light
Full shade to part shade
Height
6–12 in
Bloom
May–October
Maintenance
Low
Family
Begoniaceae
Toxic to
cats, dogs, and horses

Damage steps follow a published university field scale. How plants are rated.

About Wax Begonia

Rated the same tier as impatiens, so not the safe shade substitute it is often claimed to be. Fine under light pressure only.

Do deer eat begonias?

Yes, about as readily as impatiens. Rutgers rates wax begonia Occasionally Severely Damaged, the same tier as impatiens, coleus and pansy, and the reason is the same: fleshy stems and leaves in a shaded bed at browsing height. NC State's plant toolbox has no entry for the wax begonia, so the rating here is Rutgers alone. The hardy begonia, Begonia grandis, carries the same tier.

Protecting begonias

Containers on a porch or a shaded step, inside the traffic near the house that this tier depends on. For a bed, the 20 percent whole-egg spray Colorado State rates High, reapplied in about thirty days from planting out; begonias bloom from planting to frost, so that is four or five applications. Under light pressure a bed goes untouched all summer. Under heavy pressure it goes in a night, and the wax begonia's reputation as the safe shade annual comes from gardens in the first situation.

Do begonias grow back after browsing?

A fibrous begonia browsed to the crown will usually push new growth in warm weather and be back in flower within a month, smaller than it was. What does not recover is a plant browsed repeatedly through a cool spring before it has established. The rarely damaged annuals for the same shade are ageratum, flowering tobacco and heliotrope; the shade page lists the perennials that never need the spray.

Protecting Wax Begonia

Whether this survives comes down to local pressure, so decide on the options before it gets browsed rather than after.

  1. 1How tall a deer fence needs to beEight feet, and six is the most common expensive mistake in deer fencing.
  2. 2Repellent that actually worksThe egg-based recipe that reproduces the active ingredient in the commercial sprays that win university trials.
  3. 3Fencing a raised bedA deer jumps from ground level, so measure the barrier from the ground and not from the top of the bed.
  4. 4Check it is actually deerDeer tear and leave a ragged stub. A clean 45-degree cut is rabbits, and slug holes get blamed on deer constantly.

What to plant instead of Wax Begonia

Same plant type, hardy in the same zones, and rated better for deer. If Wax Begonia keeps getting eaten, these go in the same spot.

Soil and care

Soil pH
5.5 to 6.5
Drainage
Well drained
Water
Moderate
Fertility
Moderate
Spacing
8 to 12 in apart
Growth rate
Fast
Maintenance
Low

Tolerances and uses

Drought
Low
Salt
Low
Pollinators
Low

Containers

Where Wax Begonia grows

Hardy across every state on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering. Select any state, including one it will not grow in, for what is resistant there.

Alabama — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Alaska — hardy here. Zones 1 to 8.Arizona — hardy here. Zones 5 to 10.Arkansas — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.California — hardy here. Zones 7 to 10.Colorado — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Connecticut — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Delaware — hardy here. Zones 7 to 7.District of Columbia — hardy here. Zones 7 to 8.Florida — hardy here. Zones 8 to 11.Georgia — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Hawaii — hardy here. Zones 9 to 12.Idaho — hardy here. Zones 3 to 7.Illinois — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Indiana — hardy here. Zones 5 to 6.Iowa — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Kansas — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Kentucky — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.Louisiana — hardy here. Zones 8 to 10.Maine — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Maryland — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Massachusetts — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Michigan — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Minnesota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Mississippi — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Missouri — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Montana — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Nebraska — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Nevada — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.New Hampshire — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.New Jersey — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.New Mexico — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.New York — hardy here. Zones 4 to 7.North Carolina — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.North Dakota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 4.Ohio — hardy here. Zones 5 to 6.Oklahoma — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Oregon — hardy here. Zones 6 to 9.Pennsylvania — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Rhode Island — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.South Carolina — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.South Dakota — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Tennessee — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Texas — hardy here. Zones 6 to 9.Utah — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.Vermont — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Virginia — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Washington — hardy here. Zones 5 to 8.West Virginia — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Wisconsin — hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Wyoming — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.
Hardy on zone rangeNot hardy — still linked
Choose a state from the listeasier on a phone

Common questions about Wax Begonia

Is Wax Begonia deer resistant?
Wax Begonia (Begonia semperflorens) is rated Occasionally Severely Damaged, step 3 of 4 on the damage scale this site uses. Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
What hardiness zones does Wax Begonia grow in?
Wax Begonia is hardy in USDA zones 2 to 11. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
Does Wax Begonia grow in shade?
Yes. Wax Begonia tolerates full shade to part shade, which makes it one of the options for a shaded bed where deer also browse.
How big does Wax Begonia get?
Mature height is roughly 6–12 in. Growth rate is fast.
When does Wax Begonia bloom?
Wax Begonia flowers from May–October.
Is Wax Begonia toxic to dogs or cats?
Yes. The ASPCA lists Wax Begonia as toxic to cats, dogs, and horses. Site it away from where animals graze, or choose something else if you have a dog that chews.

Browse from here

Every list Wax Begonia belongs to.

All annuals·Sometimes destroyed·Shade plants

Hardy in these zones

Zone 3·Zone 4·Zone 5·Zone 6·Zone 7·Zone 8·Zone 9

Damage ratings follow the four-step field scale published by Rutgers University. Growing data is compiled from state extension sources and still being verified record by record. Last reviewed .