I recall the 24-hour interval I became enchant . It was a well-defined , sunny daytime some years ago at Longwood Gardens near Philadelphia . I was there at the invitation of a dear booster and fellow plant eccentric who lives nearby . As avid gardeners , we profoundly appreciated our tour of Longwood and betray through the gardens amiably discourse the merits of each plant we encountered . We were near the end of our circuit when we came upon a strange plant that digest apart on a base in the conservatory . Fascinated , we approached the plant life tentatively , not sure what we were seeing . Its graceful , mound shape draped demurely over the border of the urn . The foliage shimmered ever so slightly in the light . Each leaf curled in on itself in sensual whorl of silvery light-green bands , switch with deeper hues of forest green . Everything about this plant life seemed alien , yet funnily conversant . I was hooked . I had to lie with more about this industrial plant . We seek for the works recognition rag . It readBegoniaceae . I had been bewitched – by a begonia !
begonia are generally regarded as common , ordinary , former - fashioned house plants . But that perception call for to alter . There ’s a Brobdingnagian existence of begonias beyond the ones our grandmother grew . My sojourn to Longwood Gardens that fateful day open up my eyes to the complex world of this large and divers genus of flora . While many begonias bloom in glimmering sunglasses of red , pinkish , blank and more , in many cases the leaf is more interesting than the flowers . Any number of cultivar are available with leaves that are still , hirsute , make out , multi - imbue , whorled , pear-shaped , asymmetrical , and even star - shaped . Of the more than 1,000 extremity of this genus ( not count the vast issue of diagnose and unnamed cultivars ) , the majority of them have one thing in common as exhibit in the photos below : asymmetrical leaf condition .
DESCRIPTION
Begonias to begin with came from the tropical and semitropic moist clime of South and Central America , Africa , and southerly Asia . The plants are monoicous . In other words , male and distaff flowers occur one by one on the same plant . The male person contains numerous stamens . The female person has a large deficient ovary and two to four branched or twisted stigma . These tropical perennials are generally address as planetary house plants . A few exceptions include wax - type begonia which are widely used as annual bedding industrial plant in summertime garden , and a hardy variety , which can survive wintertime as cold as those have in Zone 6 .
CLASSES OF BEGONIAS
Begonias are group within a complicated classification system that is ground on flowers , method acting of propagation and leaf . root word structures are another important way to name species and may be described as fibrous - rooted , rhizomatous , and tuberous . The American Begonia Society divides theBegoniaceaegenus into the follow eight classes :
Cane - like : This is one of the more popular class of begonia . Members of this class typically have fibrous root structures , an upright habit , and segmented stems that are similar in appearance to bamboo . The old - fashioned angel wing begonia fall into this class . Their name comes from the asymmetrical shape of their leaves , which are non-white green with silver spot . Dragon wing begonias are a modern - day hybridized version of the angel flank type . This more summary form has take the horticulture Earth by storm over the past few years . It has arching branches about 2 foot long , leaves that are shape liked their angel wing relation but without the silver spots , and raft of drop - dead gorgeous flushed , pink or white blossoms . This plant is suitable as a lone specimen or as a pot planting in a fishy to partly shady point .
Semperflorens : This second stringy - rootle class includes yearly or “ wax ” begonia , which are farm as bedding plants and sold by the millions in garden centers everywhere . Wax begonias get their name from the waxy appearance of their leaf . They grow rapidly , look great when planted in bulk or in container combinations , are deer insubordinate , and will fly high in either sun ( except intense , hot good afternoon sunshine ) or shade . The cultivars with bronze - colored leaves exploit better in cheery positioning whereas the cultivars with green leaves do better with good afternoon shade .
bush - like : This third fibrous - rooted class grow upright on fork stem and can range in size from miniatures to giants up to 12 feet tall in more temperate climates . They get their name from their multi - cauline riding habit . Rather than just a few stem , they bring out a number of stems from the ground and outgrowth freely , giving the appearance of a shrub . While this course of instruction of begonia has flower , it is mainly develop for its foliage .
Rhizomatous : The rhizomatous mob is the expectant of the begonia year and admit more than 700 metal money . They are distinguished by their thick stems or rhizomes which grow horizontally near the aerofoil of the grease . Modern roots and leaves sprout from these stems . This class is valued for its interesting leaves , succinct growth , and massive flower presentation in spring . B. erythrophylla , which is show in the accompanying photo , is an early cross name ‘ Beef Steak ’ because of its large circular leaves . This works ’s striking foliage is dark-skinned , glossy green on top and Burgundy wine on the bottom . When the sparkle strikes the leaves , the combination of the two vividness is sensational .
Rex cultorum : Just as its name suggests , this class is the “ king ” of the begonia world . Technically , Rex begonia are rhizomatous but they are classify individually because of their boldly colored foliage and more exacting growing requirements . In fact , they are often grow specifically because of their spectacular leafage . The bright colors , shape , and forms are far more interesting than their heyday , which tend to be pallid and undistinguished . Several hundred named Rex cultivars are available these 24-hour interval in addition to numerous nameless hybrids , include some miniature rendering with a mounding form .
Tuberous : This socio-economic class is grown for its exquisite flower , which are huge and vaguely evocative of Camellia blossoms . In contrast to the other begonia course of study , tuberous begonia foliation is moderately ordinary , but the blossoms are clearly some of the most beautiful of the entire specie . The blossoms are frequently double or frilly looking and are useable in a wide range of rich - looking pure colors . Some cultivars have picoted blossoms ( edged in a color that contrasts with the main color ) . Tuberous begonia go hibernating in the winter . The overweight , round tuberous root must be grind up in the nightfall and stored in a coolheaded wry topographic point over the wintertime . In spring , it may be replanted either in a mass or instantly in the ground after all danger of icing has passed .
Begonia grandis , or hardy begonia , is another extremity of the tuberous class and hails from China . This manakin of begonia is unique in that it is hardy in gardening zone 6 – 9 . This tough plant is slow to egress in leaping , but it quickly forms a reason cover as the summer heat energy arrives . It produces clusters of pink blossoms from midsummer to early fall . The characteristic crooked parting are medium green with burgundy on the undersides . Hardy begonia is a skillful option to implant in part or full shade as a great deal planting , or as a familiar to other shade - love plants such as ferns or hosta . It ’s also a good choice for found under walnut trees , where not much else will thrive .
Trailing - Scandent : Compared to the other classes of begonia , this one is fairly pocket-sized . The name is ingest from its growing habit . “ Trailing ” means that the stems can reach out downward toward the ground . “ Scandent ” means that the offshoot can be trained to climb , interchangeable to a vine . For the nurseryman who bang hang baskets of heyday , this begonia is for you . The trailing habit , glistening parting , and showy show of clean or pinkish flowers in the spring can be quite beautiful . The only down side to this class is that the weeping root word are fragile and can be well kick downstairs if you postulate to re - pot the flora . To help solve the trouble , the fore should be tweet back to advance branching .
Thick Stemmed : This is a class of begonia not commonly found commercially but should you meet it , you ’ll do it it by its very duncish staunch with no discernible joints or nodes . This socio-economic class of begonia send up newfangled growth from the base of the flora . As the stems lengthen , the downcast leafage drop off leaving leaves on the top of each bow and leave alone the theme bare . The plant itself can grow quite big , reaching five to six feet in height . This is an strange class of begonia that is difficult to grow and may best be enjoyed by the nurseryman who likes a challenge .
CARE AND MAINTENANCE
Begonias are mostly quite prosperous to raise provide their ethnical requirements for unclouded , urine , and humidity are met .
luminosity : If you ’re grow begonias as house plants , locate them near a window with bright filtered ( collateral ) light . As a general regulation of thumb , flower types of begonias favour more sun than the foliage type . Move them outside during the summer months , but protect them from the hot good afternoon sun . They like break of day Lord’s Day but need afternoon shade . Wax begonia that are used as bedding industrial plant are ripe able-bodied to tolerate bright sun than other family of begonia . The cultivars that have bronze - discolour foliage are more sun - large-minded than the ones with green leaf . Tuberous begonia are happier with more shade , opt less hotness than some of the other smorgasbord .
Soil : The important thing to remember is that the soil must drain well . For bedding flora , work in some compost to meliorate the drainage . apply a light texture potting soil for containerized begonias .
piddle : Both containerize begonias and those used in summertime beds like to be kept evenly moist , but begonia absolutely do not like pissed feet . admit the grunge to become almost dry between waterings . Overwatering can do the plant to drop its leaves or cause etymon rot .
Fertilizer : Begonias benefit from a Inner Light flow about once a calendar month during the uprise season . habituate a balanced organic fertilizer and use at tail lastingness every two hebdomad or apply a controlled - press release fertilizer every three months . Taper off on the fertilizer in fall and deduct it altogether during the winter month .
Temperature : Other than the one hardy variety show ( Begonia grandis ) , begonias do not bear cool temperatures . Move your containerized begonia indoors once night - time temperature drop into the 50s F. Begonias prefer temperatures between 65 ° and 73 ° F.
Humidity : Most begonias thrive in a humid environment . If the air is n’t humid enough , the edge of the leave of absence may become crisp . To increase humidity levels , place the potted industrial plant on top of gravel in a pebble tray . Rex cultorumbegonias are particularly finicky about humidness levels , requiring more humidness than the other course of begonia . They apprize being planted in a porous planting mixture and haze over often with room temperature water .
Deadheading : Most begonias benefit from deadheading to keep the plants looking dandy . Otherwise , the spend blossoms have a tendency to accrue off and make a messiness . Wax begonia ( members of the Begonia semperflorens class ) , in particular , profit from being deadheaded to aid keep the floral show going .
pinch : Most begonia do not need to be pruned back or pinched to make them full . Cane - same begonias are the exception . If allow to grow uncurbed , they can become long-legged and sparse see . To keep them look plushy and full , pinch the growing peak of each stem at the head where the next folio will come out .
Potting : Plant begonia in pots that are just a little enceinte than the ascendant ball . Begonias generally prefer to be a trivial pot - bound . If you grow the enceinte cane - case begonia , pot them in a ponderous skunk that will not tip over when the plant arise top heavy . Transfer it into a larger pot when the industrial plant needs to be watered very frequently .
pestilence and Diseases : Begonias more often than not run to be pestis and disease free . They may occasionally be bothered by mealy bug or aphid , and mould may result from moist overnight conditions and poor air circulation .
PROPAGATION
begonia are very sluttish to propagate . Ones with rhizomatous radical structures may be propagated from stem or leaf cuttings . I ’ve even rooted a few in a drinking glass of H2O . begonia with fibrous roots may be divided . For more elaborated entropy on multiplication methods , see the link below for Virginia Cooperative Extension ( VCE ) Publication 426 - 002 , “ Propagation by Cuttings , Layering and Division . ”
SUMMARY
Whether you are raw to horticulture or are a serious plant collector , you will enjoy growing begonias . Just do n’t limit yourself to the commonly - grow type . essay out some of the more exotic assortment . Most garden centers convey a broader range of begonias these days . A small , inexpensive plant can rapidly produce into a large , dramatic specimen in no clip at all . The foliage and prime are coloured and the diversity within this large family of plants is fascinating . Check them out and do n’t be surprised if you , too , become bewitch by begonias .
SOURCES
A - zee Encyclopedia of Garden Plants(American Horticulture Society , 2008 )
“ Propagation by Cuttings , Layering , and Division , ” VCE 426 - 002 . ( https://pubs.ext.vt.edu/426/426-002/426-002_pdf.pdf ) .
American Begonia Society internet site ( http://www.begonias.org ) ( Not to be obscure with the National Begonia Society , which is located in the U.K. )
Longwood Gardens web site ( https://plantexplorer.longwoodgardens.org/ecmweb/FindPlant.html )
