Viking vs Hula vs Big Begonias: Which Seeds Should You Buy?
At Garden Starts Nursery, we grow plants from seed, and shoppers often ask which begonia seed series belongs in a bed, a basket or a big patio pot. The short answer: choose Viking for a large, full plant and striking leaf-and-flower contrast; Hula for low, spreading color that can spill over an edge; or Big for larger individual blooms on a mounded landscape plant. These are seeds, not finished plants: the display depends on your seed-starting care, growing conditions and time.
Viking vs Hula vs Big: the quick buying answer
Viking: Product listings describe plants around 24 inches tall and 28 inches wide, with a full, flower-heavy habit. Choose it when you have room for a substantial container or a bold bed planting, especially if chocolate or bronze foliage is part of your design. The listings describe sun and shade performance; adjust exposure to your local climate.
Hula: A low, highly branched spreading/trailing interspecific begonia. Listed at 6–10 inches tall and 20–27 inches wide, with many smaller flowers rather than jumbo individual blooms. Choose it for a basket edge, mixed container or a bed you want to fill horizontally. Its listing describes both sun and shade tolerance, but keep young plants watered and acclimate them to your conditions.
Big: A mounded, upright-arching fibrous-rooted landscape begonia listed at 20–28 inches tall and 16–20 inches wide. Its flowers are listed at 2–3 inches across and carried above glossy leaves. Choose it for a large planter or mass planting where the size of each bloom matters. Product listings specify shade to partial sun; don't buy it as a full-sun recommendation.
Which one should I choose?
Want a dramatic focal plant and dark foliage? Start with Viking Red on Chocolate. Want flowers to spread across a bed or trail over a basket? Pick a Hula color. Want noticeably larger individual flowers in a shady or partly sunny display? Pick a Big color. For a small pot, remember Viking and Big need room to reach their listed sizes; Hula spreads wide even though it stays lower. From our nursery experience, matching the mature habit to the actual space is more useful than picking solely by bloom color.
Shop the Begonia Seeds collection if you want to compare more colors before choosing.
Shop nine begonia seeds: a goal-first buying guide
Each photograph comes from its linked product listing. These pelleted seed packs are starting material; the images show variety potential, not what arrives in the packet.
Viking Red on Chocolate
Best for… a roomy focal planter where red flowers against chocolate-colored leaves create contrast even between blooms; this listing is a 100-pelleted-seed pack.
Viking Pink on Chocolate
Best for… a large container with the same substantial Viking habit but a softer pink-on-dark-foliage palette; this pack lists 50 pelleted seeds.
Viking Red on Green Leaf
Best for… a bold red Viking display when you prefer fresh green foliage over chocolate foliage; allow space for the series' full growth.
Hula Red White Bicolor
Best for… a spilling container edge where a two-tone red-and-white mix reads clearly among Hula's many small flowers.
Hula Red
Best for… a spreading bed planting when you want a consistent red blanket of smaller blooms rather than large individual flowers.
Hula Pink
Best for… a mixed hanging basket that needs a lower-growing, spreading pink component along its edge.
Big Rose
Best for… a shade or partial-sun focal planter when you want rose color and the Big series' listed 2–3-inch blooms.
Big White Green Leaf
Best for… brightening a shaded large pot with white, prominent blooms above glossy green foliage; leave room for its mounded habit.
Big Red Green Leaf
Best for… a shade-to-partial-sun mass planting where red 2–3-inch flowers, rather than Hula's smaller blooms, are the selling point.
How to start the seeds you choose
- Plan well ahead of outdoor planting: begonias are slow to become garden-size plants from seed.
- Sow the pelleted seeds on the surface of a fine, moist seed-starting mix; don't bury these tiny seeds. Keep the surface evenly moist without waterlogging.
- Provide gentle light, warmth and humidity while germinating; ventilate gradually as seedlings emerge and follow the packet's specific instructions.
- Pot up carefully once seedlings are sturdy, then harden off gradually. Set outdoors only after frost risk has passed and match the plant to its recommended light exposure.
From our nursery, the practical advice is to buy the habit you have space for now, then allow growing time before expecting the catalog photograph. For more seed-starting detail, use the published guides below.
Frequently asked questions
Which begonia has the biggest individual flowers?
Big is the choice here: its product descriptions list flowers 2–3 inches across. Viking is a big, full plant, which is not the same claim as the biggest individual flowers.
Which series is best for hanging baskets?
Hula is the clearest choice for a spreading, trailing edge. Viking and Big can be grown in large baskets according to their listings, but plan for their much taller, fuller habits.
Which is best for a garden bed?
Hula for lower spreading coverage; Big for a mounded mass of larger blooms; Viking for a taller, fuller statement. Match spacing to the mature sizes on each listing.
Can I grow these begonias in full sun?
Hula and Viking listings mention sun and shade, but local heat changes what plants tolerate. Big listings recommend shade to partial sun, so don't assume Big is a full-sun choice.
Are Viking and Big the same size?
No. Viking listings say about 24 inches tall and 28 inches wide; Big listings give 20–28 inches tall and 16–20 inches wide. Actual size varies with conditions.
Do I receive flowering plants?
No. These linked listings are pelleted seed packs. Flowers and mature size require successful germination, growing time and suitable care.
Which should I buy for dark foliage?
Choose Viking Red or Pink on Chocolate for the explicit dark-foliage contrast in this guide. Big also has bronze-leaf listings if you want to compare more colors in the collection.
What if I want a soft pink display?
Hula Pink suits a low spilling edge, Viking Pink on Chocolate adds pink with dark leaves on a large plant, and Big Rose favors prominent blooms in shade to partial sun.
Keep shopping and learning
Shop Begonia Seeds
Explore the trailing begonia collection
Browse all seed collections
Related published growing guides
Where to buy begonia seeds for your growing space
Wax, tuberous or trailing begonias: which type?
Nine fixes when begonia seeds won't germinate
Do begonias come back every year?
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About Garden Starts Nursery
Garden Starts Nursery is a working nursery that grows plants from seed. We share hands-on seed-starting experience to help you choose seeds that fit your garden and your patience. Our shop sells seeds, not the mature plants pictured on product listings.