Begonia x rex-cultorum
Rex begonia houseplants, Begonia x rex-cultorum, live artwork – richly coloured, dramatically patterned, vibrant, and maybe shimmery, relying on which kind you develop.
Considering their puckered, crinkly, whorled leaves can problem a dour temper or your preconceptions about botanical form and coloration.
I personal a number of of those museum-quality indoor begonias, and I take pleasure in them a lot I’m prepared to supply the reasonable to excessive upkeep they should thrive.
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Outdoors of USDA Hardiness Zones 10 to 12, rex begonias are generally grown as houseplants which will spend the nice and cozy months exterior.
They might even be grown open air as annuals. It may be difficult to supply the humidity they like and to ship the precise quantities of sunshine and water they require.
Are rex begonias straightforward to look after? Not likely. Are they price the additional effort? Completely.
However don’t take my phrase for it, or not less than not but. Let’s get to know this hybrid begonia selection higher earlier than you resolve whether or not it’s the houseplant for you.
I’ll attempt to hold my gushing to a minimal as I share ideas for rising and caring for rex begonias, however I can’t promise. Right here’s what I’ll cowl:
What Are Rex Begonias?
Rex begonias are herbaceous hybrids most frequently grown indoors. They’re hardy perennials suited to out of doors development year-round solely in USDA Hardiness Zones 10 to 12.
On this information we’ll concentrate on rising this selection as a houseplant, whether or not you select to maneuver it indoors within the cool months or preserve it inside 12 months spherical.
Rex begonias are famend for his or her showy leaves. The blooms that they produce are tiny, and regarded insignificant.
Most varieties unfold through rhizomes. However rex begonias are labeled individually from different rhizomatous begonias as a result of they’ve showier leaves and demand a better stage of care.
Most of those subtropical vegetation have dense, rounded, or teardrop-shaped leaves that develop three to 6 inches lengthy or huge, relying on the range.
Many sorts have a metallic floor or are silver-colored, whereas others have what I’d name a matte end in inexperienced, grey, or pastel hues.
Crinkled, puckered, or veined leaves distinguish different varieties, which may additionally sport splotches, pronounced veins, or contrasting-color leaf margins, alone or together with different patterns.
To call all of the potential leaf colours and combos would make me sound like Bubba Blue reciting potential shrimp preparations to Forrest Gump, however just a few of my favorites embody lavender, cream, deep pink, grey, and taupe.
It’s straightforward to see plant breeders have had a discipline day with rex begonia hybridization, and you must stay up for plenty of lovely, typically zany patterns and colours among the many greater than 500 named cultivars on this group.
Earlier than you begin a listing of your favourite patterns, let’s delve into the historical past of this placing houseplant.
A Be aware of Warning:
Rex begonias comprise an insoluble calcium oxalate that’s poisonous to canine and cats.
Whereas some is produced within the leaves and stems, the best concentrations are discovered within the rhizomes and roots under the soil floor.
Signs of poisoning in canine and cats embody vomiting and salivation. In case your pet has ingested any portion of your houseplant, name your veterinarian instantly.
Along with protecting the vegetation the place pets can’t munch on them, ensure youngsters gained’t be tempted to pattern one of many fairly leaves.
One nibble will trigger an disagreeable sensation within the mouth, so folks and most pets are unlikely to proceed consuming after that bit.
In case you’re repotting or rooting rex begonia rhizomes, put on gloves to keep away from pores and skin irritation.
Cultivation and Historical past
B. x rex-cultorum belongs to the Begonia genus first described by Franciscan monk and botanist Charles Plumier in 1700. Not less than 200 species had been recognized as of 1850.
One kind of begonia, B. rex, was native to the northeastern Indian state of Assam and dropped at England in 1856.
A maybe apocryphal story has Belgian horticulturist Jean Linden coming throughout the fabulous leaves of untamed B. rex rising intertwined with an orchid dropped at a London public sale room.
Linden bought the orchid and begonia collectively and supplied B. rex on the market commercially in 1858.
The rex begonia we all know right now in cultivation shouldn’t be this wild B. rex however certainly one of many hybrids bred with B. rex as one of many mother or father vegetation.
The Rex Cultorum group was first described in 1920, however the variety of varieties obtainable has elevated exponentially within the intervening century.
Varieties that resulted from a cross with B. evansiana have been taller, and different crosses created cultivars that grew upright or had sensible pink leaves, spiral patterns, or leaves with velvety surfaces.
One helpful method to categorize them is by measurement.
The leaves of the small sorts are about three inches in diameter, medium vary from three to 6 inches, and the big rex begonias have leaves which might be six inches throughout or bigger.
Most cultivars are rhizomatous, however just a few aren’t.
Breeders and industrial growers are nonetheless having a discipline day with rex begonias. Newer cultivars observe well-liked dwelling design coloration tendencies and supply a whole bunch of various patterns and shapes. However don’t let this big selection make you dizzy!
You’ll solely want one or two rex begonias for dazzling winter coloration indoors, or to enliven a patio container backyard in the course of the summer season to return to a sunroom shelf within the winter.
Fortunately, with all the colour, patterns, and shapes obtainable, you’re sure to discover a mixture that fits you, and that’s obtainable on the market.
Rex Begonia Propagation
Whether or not you’re new to this indoor plant or have found a spread you need to your personal, there are instantaneous in addition to extra leisurely methods to propagate rex begonias.
From Seed
Sadly there are three strikes in opposition to making an attempt to develop rex begonias from seed.
First, the vegetation are hybrids, so those who germinate from saved seed won’t develop true to the mother or father plant.
Second, the seeds are virtually microscopic, so that they’re almost unimaginable to deal with rigorously for planting.
Third, seeds are usually unavailable commercially.
And in the event you handle to beat these three obstacles by saving seeds independently, working with tweezers and a magnifying glass, it’s going to take not less than six months of TLC to generate a plant. (Oops, that makes 4 strikes.)
However possibly you’re up for a problem? Sowing seed can even lead to new and wondrous cultivars, the product of pollination and sexual copy.
In case you’ve been capable of finding or save seeds and wish to give it a go, discover normal directions for beginning seeds indoors in our information.
However do remember that rex begonia requires mild to germinate, so the seeds ought to relaxation on the floor of the rising medium.
From Rhizomes
As an alternative of losing time and vitality on seed beginning, I’d advocate shopping for small vegetation to develop to maturity or chopping elements of the rhizomes to root if you have already got entry to mature specimens.
If the rhizomes have already got roots and foliage hooked up, you simply must pot them up and watch them develop!
Use a clear paring knife to slice a leafless piece from the tip of the rhizome, then lay it on a clear floor out of daylight to dry for just a few hours or in a single day.
Place the rhizome chopping on high of a pre-moistened, porous, peat-based potting combine in a small seed-starting cell or pot with drainage holes.
Press it so the basis aspect of the rhizome is under the soil floor and the highest half peeks above.
Place the container in a moist spot with brilliant, oblique mild and hold the rising combine moist however not damp with a twig bottle. The rhizome ought to begin rising roots and leaves inside just a few weeks.
You possibly can hasten the method by arranging a plastic bag or terrarium high over the container to carry in moisture.
The method is faster nonetheless if a plant in your possession already has rhizomes with roots and maybe just a few leaves you can divide and repot.
This can be a process finest performed in the course of the rising season in late spring or summer season so the vegetation have an opportunity to regenerate earlier than winter dormancy.
Gently tip the plant from its pot, brush some dust from the roots, and sever sections of the rhizomes with leaves and roots hooked up.
Repot them instantly in the identical rising combine and shallow pots you’d use for older vegetation.
They need to regulate to their new scenario and resume development inside every week.
From Leaf Cuttings
It takes constant tending and about six months to propagate viable rex begonias from leaf cuttings, however that’s typically one of the best ways to develop extra of a beloved cultivar or develop your assortment when different collectors reside close by and are prepared to share cuttings.
Snip off a leaf on the base of the stem, and take away the stem. Make 4 to 5 small, quarter- to half-inch cuts by way of the principle veins on the underside of the leaf.
Put together a shallow pot full of moist potting soil, and pin the leaf onto the floor of the soil utilizing propagation pins, like these obtainable through Amazon.
Gently mist the floor of the leaf and hold it in a heat, humid location, misting day by day.
After about six to eight weeks, you must see small vegetation rising from the leaf cuts. When they’re round three to 4 inches tall, you’ll be able to transplant them into particular person pots.
Transplanting
When rooted cuttings or bought vegetation are able to go in new containers, scoop out sufficient soil so you’ll be able to place the rhizome so it’s about midway seen above the soil.
Backfill with potting combine and agency it with the heel of your hand. Wait to water it in till the following day.
For the occasional rex begonia selection that doesn’t develop through rhizomes, plant so the stem is on the identical top because it was within the pot or cell it’s already rising in.
Tips on how to Develop Rex Begonia
You don’t want any particular skills to develop rex begonias indoors, however you do must plan forward.
Whenever you meet their rising necessities, they’ll often reply by producing lovely foliage and thriving for not less than three years.
And when you catch the grasp of how caring for rex begonias differs from rising different subtropical houseplants – and different begonia species – it will get a lot simpler to maintain the vegetation pleased and wholesome.
These are the areas to concentrate on:
Soil
Step one is offering an acceptable rising medium. All sorts of B. x rex-cultorum develop finest in a porous, peat-based medium that can drain simply.
You need to use a rising combine specifically formulated for African violets straight from the bag.
African Violet Potting Combine
A two-pack of eight-quart baggage of African violet potting combine is obtainable from Miracle-Gro through Amazon.
When you’ve got an strange potting combine obtainable, you’ll be able to amend it with perlite and/or industrial compost to enhance drainage.
Containers
Most rex begonia varieties are rhizomatous. You’ll wish to select a shallow, huge container with drainage holes so the rhizomes can unfold and sprout leaves, and the shallow soil can drain freely.
They don’t thoughts if the pot is bigger than the basis ball, however as soon as the rhizomes begin urgent in opposition to the perimeters of the container or spilling over, it’s time to prune, divide, or repot.
I just like the shallow unglazed terra cotta pots you typically see marketed for rising succulents or bought as “bulb planters.”
Potting combine in unglazed clay dries out shortly, which is sweet since vegetation on this begonia group are vulnerable to root rot from overwatering.
An acceptable terra cotta pot eight inches huge and slightly below 4 inches tall with drainage holes and a saucer is obtainable from Amazon.
Study extra about selecting pots or different containers for vegetation in our information.
Gentle
This is among the extra demanding points of rising rex begonias, particularly any that can spend all their time indoors. You see, they want loads of mild, however they will’t deal with direct daylight.
You need to present a spot a few foot to 5 ft from a sunny window, or in a window that receives brilliant mild however isn’t uncovered to direct rays.
You might want supplemental develop lights indoors to ship the correct amount.
In case you do place the vegetation close to a sunny window that solely casts mild on one aspect, rotate the pots 1 / 4 flip as soon as every week so the plant doesn’t develop into lopsided because it grows towards the sunshine.
In case your rex begonias will spend the hotter months open air, they will deal with an element and even full shade location.
Step by step get them used to the decreased mild with every week or so of “hardening off” earlier than sending them exterior full time. They’ll’t tolerate direct daylight any higher open air than they will inside, so select their location properly.
Temperature
Temperatures round 70°F by day and 60°F in a single day will encourage the perfect development.
You possibly can transfer the vegetation open air for the nice and cozy months, however solely as soon as the temperature is reliably above 60°F at night time. Convey them again inside just a few weeks forward of predicted cool climate.
Gardeners with scorching sizzling summers even have to fret about excessive temperatures if bringing vegetation open air.
If temperatures exceed 80°F, the vegetation will likely be happier indoors in a managed local weather.
Humidity
Temperatures within the fascinating vary, a really perfect potting combine, and ideal lighting will all imply little in the event you can’t present ample humidity for rex begonias.
They like 50 p.c or extra, and the leaves will shortly develop brown edges or die off when the humidity isn’t ample.
Indoors, you’ll be able to elevate humidity ranges by putting vegetation within the kitchen or lavatory, the place it’s often extra humid than the remainder of the house.
Or think about putting a saucer of water and pebbles beneath the pots to evaporate and enhance moisture within the air. Simply ensure the underside of the pot rests on the pebbles with out making contact with the water so that you don’t drench the roots.
Whereas it could seem to be a good suggestion, don’t mist the vegetation immediately or they’ll threat contracting powdery mildew brought on by moist leaves. Additionally, spraying solely will increase humidity successfully if you are able to do it a number of occasions a day.
If you’re actually dedicated to offering that fifty p.c humidity and reside the place the climate or the winter air is dry, you would possibly wish to think about using an electrical humidifier.
Water
The cautious selection of container and potting combine pays off with regards to offering optimum moisture ranges.
Rex begonias want constant moisture, however the leaves will flip yellow and the vegetation may develop root rot in the event you overwater.
Purpose to supply soil that feels evenly moist, not overly dry or soggy. It’s a good suggestion to make use of a watering can to water on the soil stage.
Fill the planter till extra runs out of the drainage holes on the backside after which let it drain for an additional quarter-hour or so.
Be sure you discard water that accumulates within the saucer under. Rex begonias don’t like moist ft.
Between waterings, let the highest inch or so of the soil develop into dry, utilizing a moisture meter or your pinky to verify.
When you’ve got onerous water like I do, guarantee your potting combine is well-draining. Dealing with salt deposits from onerous water will weaken the vegetation. Think about using filtered water as an alternative.
Fertilizing
Present a balanced liquid fertilizer as soon as a month all through the spring and summer season development interval, ensuring to water the vegetation and allow them to drain earlier than and after software.
As soon as the vegetation enter dormancy in late fall or early winter, you’ll be able to stop fertilizing.
One good possibility is Bonide’s 10-10-10 NPK liquid plant meals, obtainable in an eight-ounce container through Amazon.
Rising Ideas
- Develop in excessive humidity of not less than 50%.
- Present temperatures of 70°F in the course of the day and 60°F at night time for optimum development.
- Place in brilliant, oblique mild, away from direct daylight.
- Rotate pots 1 / 4 flip as soon as every week to encourage fullness.
Pruning and Upkeep
A few upkeep chores are important for wholesome, colourful rex begonia foliage.
At all times take away any lifeless leaves from the floor of the soil as quickly as you discover them. This may hold illnesses and sure insect pests at bay.
If you’re rising the vegetation open air within the heat months, ensure to convey them indoors as soon as temperatures under 60°F are predicted.
They aren’t remotely frost tolerant, and whereas they might most likely reside fortunately open air at considerably decrease temperatures, there’s no achieve from pushing the bounds – in the event that they get too chilly, they’ll die.
Be sure you verify out of doors vegetation for bugs earlier than you convey them inside.
Whenever you’ve chosen a rhizomatous kind, observe when the rhizomes attain the perimeters of the pot. At that time, you’ll must both repot right into a container just a few inches wider or snip among the rooted rhizome sections to propagate new vegetation.
The opposite kinds of rex begonia will profit from repotting as soon as the stems are so near the perimeters of the pot that the soil now not captures moisture or drains correctly. Be sure you select a container only a measurement or two bigger than the earlier pot.
You gained’t must prune except you’re rising an upright selection, wherein case you must clip off the stems on the crown when leaves are displaying brown ideas.
Some people additionally prefer to prune just a few stems from the upright sorts to maintain them from outgrowing their containers.
You don’t must pinch ideas when the vegetation are just a few inches tall, however it’s going to encourage branching.
Rex Begonia Cultivars to Choose
Simply eager about all these colourful, fairly, no-two-varieties-alike kinds of B. x rex-cultorum makes me smile.
However don’t get too hung up on a selected cultivar – or not less than attempt to restrict your self to solely a few “must-haves.”
I point out this as a result of there are scads of sorts on the market, some with emblems or catchy cultivar names, however a selected kind isn’t all the time straightforward to seek out when you’ve got your coronary heart set.
Fortunately, there are often different varieties that look fairly comparable or have the identical coloration scheme, and these lookalikes could also be ready at your native nursery or a web based venue.
In my expertise, dozens of various rex begonias are bought and not using a particular cultivar identify – solely a tag that claims “rex begonia” with an intriguing and colourful foliage plant within the pot beneath it. I’ve a number of of those, they usually’re lovely.
Some respected growers additionally promote “grower’s selection” bundles of three to 5 sorts. They’re enjoyable and inexpensive, however the vendor picks which of them you obtain from their stock.
For these in search of named cultivars, I like to recommend these:
Concord’s Fireplace Lady
‘Fireplace Lady’ from Concord Begonias is an efficient selection to start out with, or as I’d say, an acceptable gateway plant for turning into obsessive about rex begonias.
It’s vigorous and fairly with out being overly dramatic, and its patterns and colours are extra subdued than these of different varieties you might wish to attempt upon getting extra expertise with B. x rex-cultorum.
Rising eight to 14 inches tall and spreading six to eight inches in a mounded form, it’s going to readily fill an average-size pot with its periwinkle-edged, purple-veined, silvery-white leaves that sport a deep purple fireburst radiating from every middle.
‘Fireplace Lady’ will complement vining or upright indoor vegetation which might be largely inexperienced or a stable coloration.
When you’ve had an opportunity to admire its magnificence for just a few weeks, you might be prepared for different varieties with bolder reds or metallic sheens, twisted or deeply minimize leaf shapes, or brazen patterns.
Or maybe this mild-mannered rex begonia will steer you in direction of others with ordinary-shaped, spherical leaves, or subtler hues of moss inexperienced or taupe. Who is aware of?
‘Fireplace Lady’ is accessible in a four-inch pot from Sacred Roots Nursery through Walmart.
Concord’s Venetian Purple
The painterly splotches of inexperienced, mild pink, and darkish pink on this selection’s heart-shaped, crinkly, jagged-edge leaves could be at dwelling in an Impressionist portray.
The brighter the sunshine, the extra pronounced the pink hues develop into, whereas low mild encourages a signature rex begonia metallic sheen.
This can be a good selection for a desk or bookshelf that provides oblique mild because it grows a comparatively compact six to eight inches tall.
A four-inch pot of ‘Venetian Purple’ from Concord Begonias is obtainable through Walmart.
Jurassic Megalo Croc
One of many rex begonias that grows upright, Jurassic Megalo™ Croc attains a top of 20 to 24 inches and spreads as a lot as 20 inches to drape dramatically over the perimeters of a planter.
The leaves are formed like a cross between a teardrop and a star, with deep cuts of their darkish margins.
This cultivar from the Jurassic Megalo™ collection has one of many loveliest silvery patterns you could find, with a silver teardrop or paisley form outlined in forest inexperienced with flecks of silver on the inexperienced bands.
Assuming you don’t have a prehistoric-themed amusement park the place you’ll be able to show this selection, I’d advocate displaying it off beneath a skylight in a high-ceilinged lobby or putting it as a backdrop for an association of humidity-loving houseplants in a sunroom or on the patio.
An eight-inch pot of Jurassic Megalo™ Croc is obtainable from Walmart.
Jurassic Jr. Arctic Twist
This plant can’t stand up to chilly and is a just lately trademarked selection – not within the least prehistoric.
However the catchy identify continues to be warranted. Jurassic Jr.™ Arctic Twist is a cool magnificence that evokes the identical type of obsession from indoor gardeners that younger youngsters have for dinosaurs.
These leaves! They’re ruffled and spiral from the teardrop form’s middle, one thing breeders name a “twist.”
The veins are a placing purple, as are the perimeters and a patch of shadow within the middle.
The remainder of every leaf is a frosty silver-white that’s duller in brilliant mild and extra metallic in low mild.
This selection’s leaves are about half the dimensions of these on different vegetation within the Jurassic collection, and it branches greater than they do.
The plant grows as much as 16 inches tall and spreads as a lot as 20 inches in the event you don’t trim it again.
Its fullness appears to be like good in entrance of a taller tropical plant like a parlor palm, on the ground, or within the nook of a patio.
A two-pack of six-inch pots of Jurassic Jr.™ Arctic Twist is obtainable from Walmart.
Managing Pests and Illness
Together with assuring the healthiest vegetation with probably the most bodacious coloration, many of the high methods for rising rex begonias will even forestall insect pests and illnesses from making an look.
These embody offering ample humidity and house for air circulation, potting in sterile, well-draining potting combine, and by no means overwatering.
As for the potential pests and illnesses, it’s not an in depth checklist.
However pests can typically do severe injury or transmit illness, and illness can kill the vegetation outright. It’s essential to know what you’re up in opposition to, so right here’s what to look at for:
Pests
Due to the potential opposed signs brought on by soluble calcium oxalates in its leaves and rhizomes, rex begonias usually aren’t eaten by rabbits or deer, even when they’re rising on a patio accessible through close by woodlands. However they do entice two widespread houseplant pests.
Mealybugs
Mealybug nymphs (Pseudococcidae) will pierce the leaves and stalks, and secrete honeydew that encourages ants and sooty mildew.
It’s essential to detect them earlier than they’ve proliferated, so ensure to verify the nooks and crannies, and particularly the “twisted” leaves, to search for adults and egg lots.
A handheld magnifying glass or a younger (however not squeamish) relative with sharp eyesight are good sources of help.
It’s fairly straightforward to take away only a few mealybugs with a cotton pad dampened with rubbing alcohol. Flip to our information for extra recommendations on detecting and dealing with mealybugs.
Spider Mites
When it’s sizzling and dry out, watch out for spider mites that feed on foliage and depart behind little yellow or off-white dots.
In case your plant has a big infestation, they will trigger a lot injury the plant drops leaves or begins spiraling in direction of its demise.
You need to use insecticidal cleaning soap to eliminate the mites, nevertheless it’s easier to make sure your rex begonias are rising in ample humidity, even all through temporary sojourns exterior.
I’m additionally cautious to look at any vegetation earlier than shifting them again indoors within the fall.
It’s simpler to take away spider mites exterior than permitting them indoors the place they’ll even have entry to your different vegetation.
Learn extra about profitable the battle with spider mites in our information.
Illnesses
Rex begonias are a bit choosy about needing not less than 50 p.c humidity, well-draining soil, and ample water however no “moist ft” from standing in accrued water held within the saucers beneath their pots.
You most likely gained’t be shocked to be taught that moisture administration will even provide help to to forestall these three widespread illnesses:
Bacterial Begonia Leaf Spot
Brought on by the bacterium Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. begoniae, this kind of leaf spot creates angular lesions that look water-soaked.
It can survive in lifeless foliage for as much as a 12 months – one of many causes we rex begonia followers are cautious to eliminate lifeless leaves which have fallen on the soil instantly.
This bacterium can even transfer inside plant tissue through root or leaf accidents. It’s most typical when the temperature is between 80 and 90°F.
The perfect tactic is prevention, which incorporates avoiding splashing the leaves once you water and assembly all of the plant’s humidity, water, and soil drainage necessities.
In case you do spot leaf spot injury, instantly prune any diseased foliage and destroy it.
In superior instances, destroy your entire plant and toss the potting combine it grew in. It sounds heartless, nevertheless it’s much better to trash one plant than threat leaf spot leaping to all of the others.
Be sure you sanitize containers effectively earlier than you reuse them.
To guard any minimally broken vegetation from new begonia leaf spot outbreaks, you might wish to deal with them with a product designed for controlling bacterial illnesses in houseplants, just like the biofungicide Bacillus subtilis.
Powdery Mildew
Look ahead to a dusty white sprinkling on the leaves that signifies the aptly named powdery mildew.
Brought on by Erysiphe fungi, it thrives in humid situations and may present up even in the event you’ve prevented overly moist soil.
You might be able to merely wipe powdery mildew from the leaves with a clear, barely damp microfiber towel.
When the floury particles are widespread you might want to make use of a fungicide or one of many different remedies outlined in our information to dwelling cures for powdery mildew.
Root Rot
It could seem to be I’m harping incessantly on planting in well-draining soil and by no means overwatering, however these are the perfect methods to keep away from lethal root rot.
Brought on by roots rotting in standing water, or overly-moist soil containing a soilborne pathogen, root rot basically drowns roots. As soon as they decay, they will now not assist the plant make the meals it must reside.
Do you are likely to water an excessive amount of? Suspect root rot in the event you discover the soil is soggy and the foliage is wilting or turning pale, or each.
The demise knell sounds once you raise the plant and sniff the drainage holes and catch a foul odor. That scent doubtless means a complicated case – you gained’t have the ability to salvage the plant however should trash it and its potting combine.
You might be able to pare away remoted rhizomes and cull broken roots however don’t be overly optimistic about your odds.
When even a bit little bit of contaminated soil or plant tissue stays, the basis rot can unfold to destroy the remainder of the plant.
It’s extra wise to chop your losses and begin anew with contemporary potting combine, a sterilized container, new vegetation – and a vow to be extra cautious about how and once you water.
Finest Makes use of of Rex Begonias
Giving rex begonias yet another hurrah, their highest use is as an clever day brightener, notably in winter.
Extra particularly, they work effectively on windowsills within the chilly months, and arrayed in containers on a shaded deck or patio in heat climate. The identical plant can do double obligation.
The spreading varieties look nice in a hanging basket, whereas the upright sorts type a focus in a bunch of indoor vegetation.
Perhaps I’m an oddball, however I by chance found that rex begonias can enliven the principle bathtub decor. Two of my unnamed varieties are doing very effectively on the sting of my bathtub.
I moved them there throughout a transforming mission in the lounge for what was purported to be a week-long keep.
Between the humidity from the bathe and the develop lights I’ve in there, that week has prolonged to a 12 months and a half – up to now. I need to step over them to get within the tub, however that’s okay.
The gorgeous vegetation are good companions when taking a stress-relieving heat bathtub, too.
Relating to companions, I don’t wish to depart you with out mentioning that rex begonias look dramatic and exquisite, however you don’t wish to place too a lot of them close to one another.
I believe the rationale some inside designers and indoor gardeners think about rex begonias gaudy is that they’re so typically positioned aspect by aspect with out regard to their coloration scheme.
It’s troublesome to understand these patterns and colours once they’re combating for consideration.
As an alternative, I prefer to pair or group these colourful foliage vegetation with leafy houseplants with single-shade leaves, like ‘Neon’ pothos or silver sword philodendron (Philodendron hastatum).
After all, the companions additionally want to understand excessive humidity. Boston ferns, parlor palms, or alocasia are all stable selections.
Fast Reference Rising Information
| Plant Kind: | Herbaceous perennial foliage plant | Flower/Foliage Colour: | Pink or white/Varied multicolor combos together with blood pink, chocolate, cream, deep purple, sizzling pink, khaki, lavender, lime inexperienced, maroon, pink |
| Native to: | Cultivated hybrid | Upkeep: | Average to excessive |
| Hardiness (USDA Zones): | 10-12 | Tolerance: | Black walnut juglone, full or half shade (open air) |
| Publicity: | Shiny mild | Soil Kind: | Porous, peat-based indoor rising combine |
| Time to Maturity: | 2-3 years | Soil pH: | 5.7-6.4 |
| Planting Depth: | Soil floor (seeds), rhizome’s high half seen above soil (cuttings), crown even with soil floor (varieties with out rhizomes) | Soil Drainage: | Nicely-draining |
| Top: | 6-18 inches | Makes use of: | Hanging basket, houseplant, panorama (Zones 10-12), patio container backyard, shaded deck, windowsills |
| Unfold: | 6-18 inches | Order: | Cucurbitales |
| Progress Fee: | Quick | Household: | Begoniaceae |
| Water Wants: | Average | Genus: | Begonia |
| Frequent Pests and Illnesses: | Mealybugs, spider mites; begonia leaf spot, botrytis, powdery mildew, root rot | Species: | Rex x cultorum |
Rex Begonia, King of Colourful Foliage
I don’t anticipate each indoor gardener to benefit from the colours and patterns of rex begonias as a lot as I do. However gosh, aren’t they fantastic?
I’d love to listen to when you’ve got a favourite number of rex begonia or an expertise or query you’d prefer to share. The feedback part under is a welcoming house, so take part on the dialog there.
After which take a look at these begonia guides for extra rising and care ideas:
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Nirantara TechBuzz - Stay up-to-date with the latest technology trends and news. Install the Nirantara TechBuzz app:
Nirantara Fashion
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InfiniteTravelDeals24 - Find incredible travel deals and discounts. Install the InfiniteTravelDeals24 app:
InfiniteTravelDeals24
If you haven't already, we encourage you to download and experience these fantastic apps. Stay connected, informed, stylish, and explore amazing travel offers with the Nirantara family!
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