Begonia - type & suggestions for more, please

This is the only begonia I can seem to keep alive, and I adore it! It's doing quite nicely, I think, and I've never really had any problems keeping it alive. I've even rooted a couple leaves from it and they're putting up babies.

I am completely ignorant about begonias, and I know I sound so dumb, but I'm pretty sure this is a rhizomatous begonia. Is that right? I tried to find it in the PlantFiles, and thought it looked the most like Pennywort Begonia, Miniature Pond Lily, Begonia hydrocotylifolia. http://davesgarden.com/pf/go/54796/index.html Suppose that's correct?

What I actually came here to ask is for suggestions about what other begonias to look for that I might be able to grow. I've killed several cane begonias, as well as several of the really fancy-leaved ones (those are rexes...right?). I'd really love to have more begonias, so please, if you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

Thanks so much!

Here's a picture from the back, as well. :o)

&^%$DG is terrible on the back button so I will try this one more time.

Yours might be beefsteak begonia (erythrophylla) but it is hard to tell. Here is a picture of mine from two years ago with 'Essie Hunt' in the middle. Essie has a red eye and the edges are serrated.

Hey Amy, good to see you here. I have a lot of success with rhizomatous begonias also, although I have ventured into canes and have a few coming along. We'll see how well I do with them. I've found that some begonias require a lot of TLC especially constant humidity. My first begonia 'Shamus' was ordered from Rob's. I started out with it under the lights with the Violets (it was not happy) and then moved it all over the house trying to save its life before settling it on a table under a lamp that stays on most of the day. It was comfortable and thrived. But I'm still learning. I thought I would move everybody outside for the summer, and set up a table next to the house in the shade. Within 3 or 4 days everybody was covered with mildew. I don't know if that's common with this plant or if its my Ga weather because right now it's dry but humid if that makes any sense. Anyway you will love begonias. I think your pic looks like Beefsteak, I may have sent you a leaf in our trade.

Here is 'Shamus' after 3 years from Rob's. It is in a little fishbowl where it was at one time a very tiny plant and covered with plastic wrap. It has long ago pushed the plastic wrap off and spilled over the edges. The table top is 20 inches across for an idea on how big this has gotten.

hc, I get so irritated at that back button thing too. I lose several brilliant posts per day because of that, then forget all the brilliant parts when I retype it. ;o) LOL

That 'Shamus' of yours is unbelievable! Thank you for posting that picture. That actually gives me hope that I could grow them, after all. Have you had to repot it in there?

Hi Susan! I so desperately want to be able to grow Begonias, and seems like everything I try ends up failing. I'm not going to give up yet, though. I looked up what you sent me, and it wasn't Beefsteak, but a cane and two Rexes. I recall now that I kept the Rexes you sent me for several months in a terrarium. I made the major mistake of moving them to regular pots because I thought they'd grown enough to be alright on their own and lost them. Maybe that's what I'd need to do, keep them all in a terrarium or a fishbowl like 'Shamus' above.

Thank you both for suggesting Beefsteak. I do believe that's it, because I looked it up and the person who sent it to me has a picture of theirs there. :o) Is this just an outrageously easy Begonia to grow, or might I have success with others like it, such as 'Essie Hunt' (which is gorgeous, by the way)?

Here's a picture of the leaves that are sending up babies. I think they're so cute! Some are coming from under the leaves, like AV babies do, but a couple are sprouting from the top of one of the leaves.

Beefsteak is my personal favorite rhizo begonia. A greasy spoon restaurant in our area has a huge one in its storefront window. It must be in a 14 inch pot and the leaves are huge. I once asked for a cutting but was instantly turned down.

Susan

Raingazer,

I have not had to repot it at all. Just keep it watered when it is a little droopy.

Here it is Feb 1, 2006 after it had already pushed the plastic wrap off. Looking back at my pictures it appears it is less than two years old. Thought I had it longer than that.

Sorry Amy for the Rexes, I gave up on them long ago, they're just a little too high maintenance for me. The cane I sent you was, I think, Looking Glass, mine got very large, never bloomed and then slowly died. Don't have a clue what I did wrong there. I do know I have had more success with the rhizomatous type I just have to keep them out of reach of the cats - they think it's a salad bar. They don't eat anything else except the begonias though, they must be tasty.

Susan, I do the same thing, if I see a plant at a restaurant, etc. I always ask for a cutting and sometimes they don't mind.

Susan: The first time I saw it, I hadn't really gotten into begonias and did not know what it was so they did say it was a begonia so I immediately begin checking for the plant. :)

Off that subject: I spotted some angel wing begonias at Wal-Mart yesterday. This the first sighting of anything like that and I couldn't believe my eyes. They were sitting out in the hot sun with the rest of the bedding begonias and the label said "Dragon Wing". Now I know this can not be true unless they've propagated a dragon/angel wing plant. It has the dots, etc. They were only $2.97 for a 6 inch pot. I hope this means that other canes will begin showing up on the market. **Funny thing is, this particular grower is Blue Ridge Growers in Culpeper, VA!!" They're a wholesale nursery.

S

hc,
That one has really grown a lot in just over a year! I think you're on to something with that little fishbowl. You said you water it when it gets a little droopy - does that mean you let it get somewhat dry before you water it? I thought they had to be kept fairly moist. Maybe I've been drowning them... Next time I'm out, I'm going to see if I can find a couple Begonias to try again. They're so pretty, I can't give up on them yet! :o)

susancva,
That's too bad that they wouldn't give you a cutting. :o( Perhaps they have so many people ask that they wouldn't have a plant left at all if they gave out cuttings. Nice that it got you interested in Begonias, though. :o)

Susan,
No need to apologize about the Rexes! It was nothing you did wrong. They were growing fine til I took them out of the terrarium. I sure did love that little black and red one! The cane you sent was, indeed, Looking Glass, and I hated so much that I killed it. I stuck it in the pot with another cane I had called 'Dancing Lady'. (Can't find a speck of information about a Begonia named that.) It was so pretty when I got it, but it slowly declined, til just yesterday I lopped its head off. I've got it in vermiculite now, trying to root that one sad little cane. LOL I guess I should put it in a terrarium of some type. I think I've got a gallon pickle jar it would fit in. Here's a picture of it.

That's a nice one Amy I hope it lives for you, the piece you have rooting looks healthy. It always feels good to save a plant. I just have a lot more success with canes and rhizomatous types than I do with Rexes, they seem to require something I just don't have.

I found a begonia at a local nursery named 'baby dragon wing' just a cute miniature version of the bigger type. One plant just fits in a hanging basket, it loves sun and seems to be happy.

'Dragon Wings' are so hard to beat for constant bloom and full sun tolerance. Now with it being so available and cheap (inexpensive), I treat them as annuals. I bought a six pack recently for $5 and they have probably doubled in size since being planted a week ago.

Here is one I had in a coir lined basket on a full sun deck two years ago. Not as big as it could be but the blooms are incredible.

I'm usually pretty good with the canes but I couldn't do anything for Looking Glass. I've had several and they don't like me.:(

Susan

Looking Glass can be a stinker at times. The one thing I have noted is let it dry out some between watering. Mine can get some nice leaves, then get mildew which will eventually cause it drop leaves.

When I had a greenhouse it did a lot better. Now it looks good a few weeks in summer.