Do Rex Begonias Like Sun or Shade?

linking with Cathy of Words and Herbs new Wild and Weedy Wednesday meme

MY OLD FRIENDS ‘MARMADUKE,’ ABOVE, and ‘Little Brother Montgomery’ and all the other fancy-leaf begonias I grow for double duty–garden display in spring and summer, houseplant service all fall and winter long–are tucked in safely with me, thank you, but neither they nor I are happy about it, truth be told. Low light and dry indoor air and a dry, frigid outdoors as the only alternative aren’t the happiest of times, but onward we trudge.

I just call them all fancy-leaf begonias, but they divide into several structural groups:Fibrous-rooted ones have cane-like stems and often wing-like leaves. Rhizomatous types grow from fleshy, caterpillar-like structures inclined to spread over the pot lips or even stand upward. The extra-flashy Rex begonias, which are a little trickier if you get too cool or too hot since they may defoliate in protest, are rhizomatous. I fail with them; my conditions are not to their liking. There are also semi-tuberous and tuberous begonias, with swollen bases, but my collection doesn’t include any

LOST ANYTHING IN THE GARDEN LATELY (besides your mind)? That’s the question Forum member Boodely poses in the Urgent Garden Question Forum this week, and I’m confessing to eyeglasses, every manner of tool and more. (Usually my MIA items turn up when I turn the compost heap.) Lost anything in your garden? On the very practical side comes a twist on the groundcover question, which usually includes the words “for shade.” Not this time.

DEAR SANTA: I have been very, very bad. Such facts notwithstanding, I’m submitting a request for the following items, should you be so kind as to overlook my occasional foul mouth, endless complaints about the weather, procrastination over writing my next book, and other general naughtiness. Begging your forgiveness, may I please have a pair of Okatsune pruners, more mossy pots and Weck canning jars, something magic to heal my wounded gardener’s hands, and a brush to clean the damn birdfeeder? (Oh, dear, there I go again….) The list of things I’d like, or like to give:

ONE OF MY 2012 TROPICAL PLANT PURCHASES is starting to scare me. The so-called Rex begonia vine—no begonia at all, really, but a gorgeous grape relative from parts of Southeast Asia and Australia—is not going to fit through the door this fall if this lusty behavior keeps up. Meet beautiful Cissus discolor, which I intended to overwinter indoors as a houseplant…oh, dear, what was I thinking when I trained it upward instead of in an easier-to-carry-in hanging basket?

Ontario-based Dugald Cameron shipped unusual bulbs from Gardenimport throughout North America since 1983. He is in particular a self-professed begonia nut (me, too!) with 66 varieties in all offered in his catalog, alongside many other choice items from Achimenes to Zephryanthes.I often refer to my tender bulbs as “investment plants.” Expensive at first, perhaps, compared to a seed-grown annual, but then you overwinter them indoors, and they even multiply.“Bulbs really are underrated in some respects—because it’s like a kit, ready to go,” says Dugald. “All you have to do is add soil and water a few other things, and you get a flower. I call them potted perennials—you’ve got pots you’ve pr

Tovah is the author of more than a dozen garden books including “Tasha Tudor’s Garden” and “The New Terrarium” and the “The Unexpected Houseplant,” and her newest, “The Indestructible Houseplant” (Amazon affiliate links).Besides our love of begonias, Tovah (find her at her Plantswise Facebook page) and I share a commitment to organic garden practices, indoors and out,. And we are near-neighbors in the corner of the world where Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York’s borders come together.Tovah says she emerged from 25 years work

Let's dive into the essential topic of watering rex begonias. These gorgeous foliage plants require some watering know-how to keep them in tip-top shape whether you grow them indoors our out.Watering tips for rex begonias indoorsTo get the best from your rex begonias indoors, make sure it's growing in soilless potting mix and a container that has holes in the bottom so water drains easily. Give plants pr

A glossy appearance is innately alluring to people, whether it’s found in a shimmering pool of water, a freshly-detailed car, or the lovely lips of that special someone… and with the glossy-leafed wax begonia, you and your landscape can take full advantage of its inherent attractiveness.We link to vendors to help you find relevant products. If you buy f

The idea of a “hybrid” has always struck me as super cool.From demigods in Greco-Roman mythology to the massive feline l

Before you try to use a soil amendment like caffeine, it is important to know Which Plants Like and Do Not Like Coffee Grounds. Keep on reading to know everything about it.