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Special Begonias
July 3, 2020
This article appeared in Gardeners' World Magazine in July 2020. Download
the original (Dutch!) article or start reading it in English under the photo below. First some practical information:
Where do you get those special begonias?
Begonia hatacoa
'silvery leaves' is currently exclusively available at Araflora. They also sell many of the other begonias in my article. In addition, they offer a beautiful collection of special houseplants and terrarium plants. Like me, Araflora likes wonderful plants, or #wonderfulweirdplants :-)
Begonia 'Ricinifolia var. Immense' I got from befriended grower Wilko (Hofstede Hovaria) and is currently difficult to find. Wilko will be bringing this (literally immense!) Begonia to wholesalers early 2021.
Begonia 'Ricinifolia var. Immense' I got from befriended grower Wilko (Hofstede Hovaria) and is currently difficult to find. Wilko will be bringing this (literally immense!) Begonia to wholesalers early 2021.
WIN 2 special begonias!
Soon I will organize a giveaway on Instagram together with Araflora, giving away (amongst other plants) the very special B. hatacoa
'Silvery leaves' and B.
'Autumn Ember'. Follow me
not to miss it!
A begonia for every living room
A friend bought her first house in Begonia street and I had to chuckle: what a lame name! Today, years later, I am jealous. Begonias are my favorite plants. I'm not talking about the well-known tuberous begonias or semperflorens, which are mainly kept for their flowers. No, I'm talking about the versatile varieties in the living room, with their beautiful leaves: the begonia is making a comeback, and how! In this article you can read more about some special begonias in my living room.
Savior of slaves
At first glance, the Begonia glabra does not look impressive: a simple, fresh green climbing plant. In Suriname, however, this plant is considered a magical herb. It is called Kowru ati. The story goes that at the time of slavery this plant helped the slaves who escaped. Colonialists did not go after the slaves: they would return if they got hungry and thirsty. But they did not: Kowru ati was perfectly edible and provided enough moisture to stay alive. To this day, this begonia is seen as an important herb in Suriname and used in stress-reducing herbal baths, among other things.
Hairy Harries
I confess, I have a soft spot for hairy plants. Long, short, fluffy or spiky: I like all kinds of plant hairstyles. Good thing there are a lot of hairy Harry's in the begonia family! The hairs of a plant are officially called "trichomes". There is no 100% consensus on why they have trichomes, but it probably helps protect them from pests. There are also plants with trichomes that excrete something, such as nettles. Fortunately, I have not yet discovered aggressive begonias!
The hairs of begonias vary enormously: look at B. sizemoreae, with thin hairs up to 1 cm long, or the red flosses with white shoots of B.
"Ricinifolia var. Immense ". Prefer short and spicy? No problem, try a variety of B. masoniana, often with special patterns in their leaves, such as an “Iron Cross”.
Polkadots, colours and chic silver
You've probably seen the polkadot begonia (B.
'Maculata Wightii'): large, elongated leaves with white polkadots. But how about B.
"Snowcap" with its many silver-white dots, or the alien-like B. amphioxus
with light green leaves and red dots. It can get ccrazy!!
It doesn't stop there: I am a big fan of the warm colors of B.
“Autumn Ember” and the almost neon green stripe on the dark leaves of B. listada. Do you prefer chic? Go for B. hatacoa
"Silvery leaves". With its almost entirely silver leaves, it is hard to imagine that this plant grows in the wild along babbling brooks in the mountains of Asia.
Not convinced yet? Let me introduce you to master of disguise B. luxurians, also called "Palm Leaf Begonia". When you see her you understand why: with lush palm-like leaves, this begonia brings you into tropical atmospheres!
In short: no matter what living room you have, there is always a begonia that suits your style. Want to see more of my begonias? Follow me on Instagram!
In short: no matter what living room you have, there is always a begonia that suits your style. Want to see more of my begonias? Follow me on Instagram!
Read my other articles for Gardeners' World Magazine here.
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