Wax Begonia
Begonia × semperflorens-cultorum
A bushy tender perennial with glossy waxy green or bronze leaves and continuous clusters of small single or double flowers in pink, red, or white. Compact (15 to 30 cm), tidy, and exceptionally free-flowering. Grown as a summer annual in Alberta gardens but easily kept as a year-round houseplant in a bright window. One of the few flowering plants that performs equally well in part shade and full sun: sun makes the leaves bronze and the flowers more intense, while shade keeps the leaves bright green and the form a little looser. Prone to powdery mildew if leaves stay wet overnight, so water at the soil and give the plant good airflow.
Quick Facts
Distribution
Indoor or summer annual (cultivated hybrid; parent species native to South America)
Light
Bright indirect light to morning direct sun indoors. Sun to part shade outdoors
Bloom Time
Continuous from spring through fall outdoors. Nearly year-round indoors with enough light
Soil
Standard well-draining potting mix
Water
When the top 2 cm of soil is dry. Avoid splashing the leaves
Growing & Cultivation
Propagation
Stem cuttings root readily. Cut a 7 to 10 cm stem just below a node, strip the lower leaves, and root in moist mix or a glass of water. Cuttings taken in late summer let you overwinter the plant indoors. Seeds are extremely fine (some of the smallest of any cultivated flower) and need to be surface-sown on damp mix and kept in bright indirect light at 21 C
Pruning / Splitting
Pinch growing tips regularly to keep the plant compact. Deadhead spent flower clusters to extend bloom
