Succulent plants have always piqued my interest. plants like Adenium obesum, the Desert Rose, or Stephania erecta that have gnarly, bloated stems. Hair-covered plants that are masters at conserving water, such as Cephalocereus senilis, the Peruvian old man cactus, or Kalanchoe beharensis, the Oak-leaved Kalanchoe. Then I came upon begonias, which have asymmetrical, multicolored leaves and flowing umbels of blossom. Succulents don’t seem to be as fragile as begonias, I thought.
Succulent begonias, it seems, ARE a thing. Now I cultivate them with my mammillarias and haworthias. Once more, I see that the genus Begonia is even more diverse.
Examples include Begonia richardsiana and Begonia suffruticosa. On this Begonia dregei partita, take notice of the longer, more pointed leaves.
Growing from the woody caudex is Begonia dregei. The soil is roughly half of a cactus mix, and the pot is made of porous terracotta.
Begonia dregei, aka Bonsai Begonia, aka Maple Leaf Begonia.
There are several names for this one, but botanists have settled on B. dregei. The plants started to diverge with varied leaf shapes and spots when the large, forested area that B. dregei is native to was fragmented by development. The synonyms are frequently used to differentiate between leaf shapes. Partita of a begonia
The most exquisite bonsai-grown, caudex-bearing plant I had ever seen was positioned against the back wall of a Cactus and Succulent Society presentation, where the show winners were displayed. It was completely covered in flowers and lovely foliage. It appeared to be a miniature maple tree because of the tiny leaves. The stems that those delicate leaves were seated upon were emerging from a silvery, worn caudex that reminded one of a little antique pebble. There were awards and ribbons all over it. I was in love.
My B. dregei is housed in a pot made out of highly porous, unglazed clay. If it’s warm out in the summer, it grows like a weed and hydrates like a fish. I observe the leaves in winter, when it is kept on a windowsill or lit by lights, to determine when a little watering is necessary. I’ve experienced a few disasters and almost lost the entire plant due to excessive watering. Thankfully, B. dregei is simple to reproduce. I constantly have backups.
My plants are constantly coming in and going out of the house where I live in the middle of the United States. It makes growing a little difficult. B. dregei likes protection from intense, prolonged sunlight in the summer. My collection is kept on a deck that faces east and is partially shaded. I strive to obtain the illusive quality they refer to as “bright, filtered light.” Zone 6’s winter is more challenging. By the middle of October, my plants had been moved inside to a windowsill or a location with fluorescent lighting. The warmer windowsill in the top section of the house is where B. dregei reacts best. Even with the fans running nonstop in the basement light garden, powdery mildew is nearly a given. Moving the plant to a location that is regularly cooler also ensures complete leaf drop. I continue to use a sunny window in the south or west.
B. carolineifoliaaka Palm-leafed Begonia
I was a little surprised to see a little B. carolineifolia. I anticipated the typical prostrate rhizomes because I’m familiar with the enormous B. ‘Ricinifolia’ and the little B. bowerae. As my plant grew and its rhizome started reaching for the sky, I became aware of how peculiar this one was.
The design that is still visible resembles a palm tree’s trunk. The picture is finished by the leaves, which according to botanical classifications are “palmately compound.” the real-life parody of a palm tree. It grows much more slowly than many begonias do. Even after ten years, my plant still appears to be somewhat overpotted in a six bulb pan.
It is understandable why Begonia carolineifolia would go by the popular name “palm-leafed Begonia” given its thick, leaf-scarred stems and palmate leaves.
Begonia carolineifolia requires great drainage, just like the succulents with which it shares a windowsill. I plant in a clay pot using a cactus mix and a little more potting soil. Pots with glazes retain too much moisture. The plant temporarily retreats indoors during summer downpours to escape any extra moisture. The plant only receives light irrigation over the winter, roughly every 10 to 2 weeks.
I give Begonia carolineifolia morning and afternoon sun after it’s outside for the summer. I expose it gradually to the summer light because the leaves burn readily. It remains in a south window where temps range from 5570 F from fall to early spring. The leaves keep healthy over the winter by maintaining a warm and moderately sunny environment.
Begonia venosa
The first time I saw a photo of Begonia venosa was while leafing through a copy of Graf’s Exotic Plant Manual. The plant was not well depicted in the gray tone photo. Like the pricey boiled wool coats, the leaves are strongly felted. The hairs can gleam silver or blinding white depending on the lighting. The hairy covering hides rich, juicy leaves. The papery, mocha-colored netting is draped across the thick stalks. All those intriguing details are actually drought survival strategies. incredibly lovely survival skills.
Here in the four seasons of the Midwest, I find that Begonia venosa grows best in a huge, rootbound plant in a permeable pot. A larger plant appears to be more resilient to certain over- or underwatering than a smaller plant.
I’ve tried growing B. venosa from cuttings, buying plants, and seeds, but I’ve had little success until recently. I was invited to take a friend’s B. venosa because he was relocating. For Kansas in December, the plant proved to be rather huge and exceptionally healthy. He advised me to start off by starting a pot with rooted cuttings. He told me that being pot-bound suited them. It seems to function. My cooler basement has lights on the plant.
As a bedding plant, friends in Australia grow this plant outdoors in the hot heat. The blooms’ spiciness fills the air in the evening, in my imagination. In the summer, mine gets harsh morning sun and midday shade.
Even with all of its built-in sunburn protection, I still need to transfer it over a few weeks to its sunny location. I have to forget that this is a Begonia when it comes to water. Watering is done sparingly and only once a month throughout the winter. The best advise I can give for watering this plant is to always use a restrained hand. It is transferred to a location where it will stay dry if the weather is cool and rainy.
Begonias come in a beautiful diversity, and you can always find one or two that go well with the environment in which you are growing your plants. Experiment with new things and take risks. You’ll get a generous reward.
A begonia may be a succulent.
Any of the about 1,000 species of primarily succulent plants in the family Begoniaceae that belong to the genus Begonia, many of which have colorful blooms or leaves and are used as indoor pot plants or outdoor garden plants. They come from tropical and subtropical regions. The three wings on the female flowers’ ovaries and their typically four-colored tepals (petals and sepals combined) in two pairs of various sizes are distinguishing characteristics. Pink, red, yellow, or white flowers might have an ovary that is the same color. On various varieties, the alternate, typically lopsided leaves might vary in shape and color.
The more than 10,000 reported cultivated begonia varieties—the majority of which are hybrids—present a dizzying variety of shapes. The majority of types fall into one of three major categories: fibrous-rooted, rhizomatous-rooted, or tuberous-rooted.
How are begonias categorized?
Begonias can be divided into three primary groups, however, according to criteria set forth by the American Begonia Society: fibrous-rooted, rhizomatous, and tuberous begonias. Classifying begonias can be difficult due to their diversity and the prevalence of hybrids.
Succulent wax begonias are they?
Except for my wax begonias, all of my front porch potted flowers are flourishing (photos e-mailed). Even my geraniums, which are hanging in a basket and are not visible in the photo, are flourishing. However, since I planted the begonias around three weeks ago, despite the fact that they are still alive, I have not seen any growth with them. Furthermore, the edges of the leaves are starting to take on a reddish hue.
In southeast New Mexico, the plants get midday sun, and when I get home from work, I give them a good hose-down. I believe I may, though, be overwatering the begonias. Are they less water-intensive than other well-known flowers? Thanks.
Tim, I appreciate the photos you provided; they are excellent and really useful. Because they are succulent plants, begonias and geraniums can definitely suffer from overwatering. That is one solution to your issue based on the images.
Your photos demonstrate how many blossoms the plants have. An old suggestion is to choose bedding plants with few or no blossoms because the plant will focus its energy on creating flowers rather than growing. To keep the bedding plants compact and promote flowering, plant growth regulators may have been applied. This makes sense because people like to buy flowering plants so they can ensure they have the bloom colors they prefer, but the growth suppression might last for some time after transplanting. This can contribute to the problem with your begonia plants. These plants demand less water even though they are developing more slowly. This could lead to an overwatering issue with succulents like begonias. The other plants don’t appear to be as tightly inhibited and are not succulents (except the geraniums that are not in the photographs, but they are probably larger and perhaps not treated with growth inhibitors or as strongly affected as begonias).
In the close-up photo of the wax begonias pot, I believe I can make out the exposed edges of peat pots. That is not what I observe among the other plant species in the pots (but then there is no close up picture of those). The peat pots’ open edges can act as wicks to dry during the day, exposing the roots of the plants to salt buildup (minerals left as the water evaporates). The wax begonias’ browning margins could be the result of salt burn brought on by the exposed peat pots. Root death and root rot may result from this salt damage to the roots. Some of the begonia plants’ leaves seem to be showing signs of drying. Even when the potting soil is still damp, this may be the result of root loss. Once more, the wax begonias’ succulent nature might make the issue of root rot and the emergence of root infections worse.
If you want to see if cutting back on watering will benefit the plants, try watering a bit less in the morning and a little more in the evening. Since the other plants are flourishing, keep providing them with the same amount of water.
When the plants require water, wax begonia leaves have the intriguing property of taking on a frosted, glazed (dull green) appearance. Use that as a reference to determine how much to water. More than the other bedding plants, begonias and geraniums may endure and even benefit from somewhat drier growth circumstances. Start fertilizing until when the plants have developed strong roots and started to produce more foliage.
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