Icon of the southwest, organ pipe cactus (Stenocereus thurberi) is one of the best known species of cacti in the United States.Reaching up to 26 feet in height and 12 feet wide, this slow
10.07.2023 - 00:01 / gardenerspath.com / Joe Butler
How to Grow and Care for Wax Begonias Begonia x semperflorens-cultorumA 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.
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You may have heard of this kind of flower already. For many gardeners, Begonia x semperflorens-cultorum is considered an old-fashioned clump of blooms from the good ol’ days.
Not that this should deter you or anything – I know I’m not the only fan of the classics!
I mean, it’s hard to beat these sweet little plants when you’re looking for a space-filler that adds a generous dose of floral color.
And while some varieties have green foliage, the types with bronze to dark reddish leaves add another eye-catching punch of contrast to flower beds.
In this guide, we’ll break down everything a wax begonia grower needs to know, from propagation to cultivation. By its end, you’ll have another beauty to add to your floral lineup.
Here’s just what we’ll be getting into:
What Are Wax Begonias?With over 2,000 diverse species of tropical and subtropical plants in the Begonia genus, classifying and telling apart different kinds of begonias can be tricky, so a bit of clarification is definitely in order.
The American Begonia Society has informally classified begonias into eight different groups: cane-like, rex-cultorum, rhizomatous, semperflorens, shrub-like, trailing or scandent, thick-stemmed, and tuberous.
Wax begonias belong to the semperflorens, or “always-flowering” group.
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