If your window space is limited and you would like to grow more than two or three plants, try these beautiful little begonias in your window garden this winter.
Their varied leaf forms and colors and dainty flowers will create new interest and give you much satisfaction.
All of these begonias are rhizomatous – that is, they grow from a rhizome and they may be grown in 3” or 4” inches “squatty” pots, clay, or plastic.
The square plastic pots fit into a tray nicely and give more space.
Different Begonia Miniatures
Begonia Boweri: Mexican Begonia
Begonia Boweri is an attractive Mexican begonia. It was founded by MacDougall in 1948.
Boweri is often called the “eye-lash begonia” because of the long erect hairs and black markings around the margins of the leaves.
It is a bushy little plant with small waxy ovate leaves of vivid green and clusters of pink flowers.
This plant grows to perfection in chopped sphagnum moss in a wire basket. Many beautiful hybrids have been grown from the seeds of Boweri.
Begonia Boweri major has large, almost plain leaves, with long eye-lashed edges and shell pink flowers. It is also a good basket plant.
Begonia Maphir: Cleopatra
Begonia Maphir (sometimes listed as `Cleopatra’) is a technicolor jewel with its odd coloring and marking.
The maple-shaped leaves are chartreuse, suffused with deep brown markings surrounding the veins and margins.
The veins are light green on the upper leaf and red on the underleaf. The leaves are shallow-lobed and of a velvety texture with long eyelashes on the margins.
The flowers of `Maphir are pink and fragrant.
Begonia Virbob
Begonia Virbob is another plant of this group.
The face of the leaf is a velvety bronze-green with light green veins. The underleaf is deep red with a few green blotches.
The leaf petioles are red. Both upper and lower sides of the leaves are sparsely hairy and the leaves have eye-lashed edges. `Virbob’ produces pink flowers.
Begonia Kenan
Begonia Kenan has leaves of chartreuse or darker green with brown markings on the face.
They are maroon-red underneath, as `Maphir and `Virbob.’ The leaves are shallow-lobed, with one long point.
Begonia Spaulding
Begonia Spaulding is a cross of Begonia Boweri x Begonia hydrocotylifolia, introduced in 1953 and named for Stanley Spaulding, a past president of the American Begonia Society.
‘Spaulding’ is a small, bushy rhizomatous begonia whose leaf stems arc sparsely hairy with red dashes.
Its round leaves come in shades of grass green to dark green velvet. The underleaf is ox-blood red, and the leaf edge is lightly eye-lashed.
Begonia ‘Bow-Arriola’: Gus Arriola
Begonia ‘Bow-Arriola’ is named for the comic strip creator, Gus Arriola.
It has a satiny green star leaf with purple marking on the leaf edges and along the veins, and flowers of blush pink.
Begonia ‘Bow-Chancee’
Begonia ‘Bow-Chancee’ is a seedling of Begonia Boweri with bright chartreuse leaves and chocolate marking on the wavy margins which arc covered with eyelash hairs.
This plant will be the delight of the window garden if it is grown on a small totem pole. A heavy bloom of lovely pink flowers comes in late winter and continues into spring.
Begonia ‘Bow-Nigra’: Star-Shaped Bronzy Leaves
Begonia ‘Bow-Nigra’ came from a cross of Begonia Boweri x Begonia heracleifolia nigricans.
It has star-shaped bronzy leaves with light green veins and blushes pink flowers.
Begonia ‘Bow-Joe’: Black Beauty
Begonia ‘Bow-Joe’ came from a cross of Begonia Boweri x Begonia Joe Hayden, and was introduced in 1951. It is a low, compact plant.
‘Bow-Joe’ is really a black beauty with a green eye, petioles only 2 ½” inches long, and eye-lashed leaves.
The pale pink flowers with red dots come in the spring atop spikes.
Begonia ‘Shadow Star’
Begonia ‘Shadow Star’ came from a cross of Begonia mazae x ‘Joe Hayden.’
It has a dark, black-green, heavy textured leaf which is red underneath. It blooms in the spring.
Begonia ‘Beatrice Haddrell’: Star Type Leaf
Begonia ‘Beatrice Haddrell’ was introduced in 1952 by Percy Merry. It came from a cross of Begonia Boweri x Begonia sunderbruchi.
‘Beatrice Haddrell’ has a rich black, star-type leaf with green veins and a pink flower.
Varieties Of Miniature Rex Begonias
There are several miniature rex begonias that add color to the window garden.
Baby Rainbow
‘Baby Rainbow’ has purple-centered green leaves with purplish-brown margins suffused with carmine red and silver dots.
Calico
‘Calico’ has silver dotted, round leaves which are flushed with crimson.
Begonia It
‘It’ has green leaves striped with silver, and ‘It’ is one of the rex begonias that is grown for its profusion of bright pink flowers.
- ‘Lorraine Closson’ has brilliant leaves.
- `Louise Closson’ has a dark red leaf with a beautiful metallic sheen.
- ‘Lucille Closson‘ is a small plant with richly colored leaves – a blackish-red color with large purple-pink blotches.
- `Lucy Closson’ has a small leaf flecked with purple.
The leaves of ‘Pansy’ have a metallic green color with a center zone of dark green. ‘Pansy’ has deep rose-colored flowers.
Miniature Begonia Cultural Hints
If you grow plants in a window garden in an apartment and do not like to mix soil, try the chopped sphagnum moss. It is clean and easy to use.
You can buy the moss already chopped, or do it yourself. Long strands of sphagnum may be cut into one-inch lengths.
Soak the moss in a solution of liquid house plant fertilizer overnight
(I use Hyponex, one teaspoon to a gallon of water).
The next morning squeeze all the moisture you can from the moss and fluff by tossing it in the pan.
Do not use broken crockery over the drainage holes in the pots. Add chopped sphagnum, press firmly but do not pack.
Set the plant close to the edge of the pot and allow room for the rhizome to grow across the pot.
If you do not like a large plant, pinch the end of the rhizome as it reaches the other side. This induces new growth on top of the rhizome.
Use perlite or coarse chicken grits on top of the moss to keep light away from the moss. Be sure not to overwater.
Let the moss dry out, then set the pot in a bowl of water and leave until moisture shows on the top.
If the moss is wet, the pot is heavy, but it is very light when the moss is dry. Feed with a good liquid house plant fertilizer every 2 to 3 weeks.