Begonias in bloom - instant gratification

LIFESTYLE NEWS - These indoor flowers are no one-minute-wonder.

With the right kind of care, they are long lasting house plants, that can later be divided and propagated and even planted out in warm, frost free gardens in spring.

Care requirements for all begonias:

To flower or grow well all begonia varieties need up to six hours a day of indirect bright light (no direct sunlight). Best close to north or east facing windows, or even west facing windows if the room doesn’t get too hot.
You can’t go wrong if you drench the pot with water until it runs out the bottom. Once it has drained, return to its saucer or a container. Let the top 5cm of soil dry out lightly before drenching again.
Begonias like humidity so put them on a pebble tray or combine them with other plants to create a humid microclimate. Even though they like humidity a bathroom may be too moist and not bright enough.
Feed with a liquid fertiliser once a month in summer, or twice a month at half strength.

Pink begonias... mother's delight.

Trimming begonias …why you need to do it

It keeps them bushy and healthy. Pinch off the growing tips every 4 weeks or when you notice stems have become leggy. New growth will develop from the tips. Keep on dead heading flowers and remove yellowing leaves.

In spring cut out old or floppy stems to make place for new growth and feed with a liquid fertiliser.

Why did my begonia die?
Overwatering is the most likely cause. Begonias like lightly moist but not soggy soil or for the pot to sit in water. This causes the roots to rot. Wilting or yellowing leaves are usually a sign of root rot and unfortunately the usual reaction is to water even more.

Underwatering can result in brown dried leaf edges, limp leaves and the soil feels very dry. Every few days push your finger halfway into the soil to test how moist or dry it is.

Begonia Polka Dot

Begonia Polka Dot is one of those Instagram stars, and you can see why. It is irresistible with its silvery-white polka dots and the bronze red under leaf. This vigorous cane begonia is also called an angel wing begonia and the stems can shoot up to 1.5m.

However, as a houseplant it can be kept lower and bushy by regularly pinching or cutting back stem tips above a leaf node when the stems are 15- 16cm high. This can be done from spring through to autumn. Boost the plant with a liquid fertiliser after pruning.

How much light is right?

Like other begonias they like plenty of bright indirect light. With too little light the leaves become dull, and the colours fade. If exposed to sun they leaves may scorch and develop brown dry tips.

Begonia Iron Cross

‘Iron Cross’ is another spectacular fancy foliage begonia that is much more compact, only growing 30cm high and wide. It hails from Southeast Asia and needs a warm, humid room and medium to bright light. Place it with other foliage plants to naturally increase humidity.

Because its roots store water it should not be over watered. Do not mist or wet the leaves when watering as they are susceptible to mildew and other fungus disease as well as crown rot.

Begonia "Iron Cross"