By Beatrice Hawkins
A friend recently gave me a beautiful big begonia flowering wonderfully in a large pot. I am no indoor plant grower but remember admiring these when my lovely mother in law had them growing in the front entrance of a couple of different houses she lived in on the N.S.W. mid-north coast and around Narromine.
I have always put them in the too hard basket for myself and have never attempted them. Now I have been gifted this big beauty and so am finding out about them. I see there is already another small one coming up in the pot so hopefully, I will be able to keep everything alive and flourishing.
Apparently, they are part of a group of 2,000 flowering plants that are native to tropical and subtropical areas, often grown as indoor plants in cooler areas and grown for both their flowers and different foliage.
With 2,000 flowering plants and then all the different cultivars and hybrids, there seems to be a never-ending supply to choose from.
There are bedding begonias otherwise known as wax begonias, small, sun hardy plants that can be grown anywhere in Australia. Sun hardy must be true also as I remember an uncle growing them very successfully in full sun as a border to the cement path in his garden in the full heat of a western N.S.W. Narromine summer and they looked terrific.
Next, we have Cane or Angel Wing begonias named for their growth habit or the shape of the leaves. This I think is what mine is. Lovely shaped spotted leaves with bronze underside and hanging bunches of pale pink flowers. My west-facing window should be a good spot for it as there is a verandah there also. It would only get some fairly late afternoon sun and not be too hot. A tray of pebbles and water with the pot sitting on the pebbles should be the way to provide the needed humidity according to the experts. They also assure me they are almost foolproof!! For me, they will probably need to be!!
Now we come to Rex Begonias which are grown primarily for their amazing leaves that can be green, burgundy, silver, black, pink, purple or metallic!! Added to this these colours can be in swirls, stripes, splotches and spots. They grow from a rhizome and do well in pots in moist shade house situations. I have also seen them grow in moist, semi-shaded areas and thrive.
Then we have Tuberous begonias. These apparently can tolerate high temperatures but prefer cooler climates with low humidity. They grow to about 50 cm with lots of showy, brightly coloured flowers. Because of the weight and proliferation of the blooms, these may require staking. They do well in pots or in the right area in the garden. They flower all spring and summer and the tuners can be lifted and stored after they die down in autumn.
Last, on the list I found, are Elatior begonias identified by the distinctive heart-shaped leaves and clusters of small single or double flowers. These seem to be exclusively an indoor plant and the advice is that they should be kept out of direct sunlight and treated carefully as they are very easily damaged.
All begonias are frost tender and like good drainage. In fact, from what I’ve read, the easiest way to kill a begonia, regardless of the variety, is to overwater it. It is best to let pots dry out a little if in doubt about watering and also water at ground level to avoid the risk of increased fungal infections of the leaves. It seems the ideal potting mix is the same as for African violets. Remove dead and yellowing leaves regularly also to avoid this problem. It is not necessary to deadhead the flowers as they generally self-clean with the flowers falling when finished and so take care of themselves.
They can be grown from seed, leaf and stem cuttings, division and rhizomes or tubers depending on the variety.
The usual problems apply with aphids, snails and slugs and can be dealt with in the way that suits you best.
The lifespan of begonias is only about 2 to 3 years, even with good care so it is important to propagate them if you need to keep them going. I guess I am going to be learning how to do that, as this is a very special plant, given for a very special and important situation.
I certainly know a lot more about begonias than when I was given this lovely gift. However, I don’t know that I feel very confident about looking after my special plant, but will give it my best shot and trust beginners luck!
