These days plant dealers need specimens that do the following things: look good ninety-eight percent of the time; provide reliable color or interest; perform in part shade; flourish in gardens or containers and require very little care. Breeders have slaved over certain perennial plant genera, including heuchera, tiarella and brunnera, in an effort to produce those results. In recent years, many of the same breeders have broadened their horizons to include fancy leaf begonias. Now those shade-loving plants are experiencing a moment in the sunshine of popular acclaim.
The phenomenon has come to my attention, as so many things do, through e-mail; specifically promotional e-mails from the giant wholesaler, Terra Nova Nurseries of Canby, Oregon. Led by its president and resident plant guru, Dan Heims, Terra Nova is an industry leader in plant introductions and the creation of dramatic new horticultural fashions. If you have ever bought one of the scores of colorful heuchera varieties, you have probably bought a plant introduced by Terra Nova. Color is Terra Nova’s middle name and they look for it everywhere, in flowers, leaves, stems and any other plant part visible above ground.
They especially love colorful shade plants, so fancy leaf begonias are right up their merchandising alley. Up until a few years ago, rex and angel wing types were only available from specialty nurseries. Now they make regular appearances in mainstream plant catalogs and large garden centers.
The name “begonia” can be confusing because there are so many different types of plants within the genus. Most of us know wax begonias, those low-growing, sun-loving summer bedding plants that usually bear red or white flowers. Some of us have grown–or in my case, tried to grow–tuberous begonias, which also flower in summer. Tuberous types, sometimes referred to as the “Tuberosa Group,” boast sumptuous, somewhat camellia-like flowers in shades ranging from white through a host of pinks, reds, oranges, apricots and yellow. Though a bit finicky, they are glorious in bloom and wonderful for the summer shade garden.
Fancy leaf begonias grow from rhizomes and have historically been indoor or greenhouse plants. They were beloved by Victorians who used them to liven up their dim parlors and bright aspirational conservatories. The flashiest fancy leaf types are part of a group that goes by the name “rex begonias,” because they are descended from a distinct species, Begonia rex. Over the years Begonia rex has been crossed with closely related species to produce showy plants with gloriously colored and marked leaves. As if all that color weren’t enough, rex leaves are sometimes ruffled, curled or twisted, as in the popular variety ‘Escargot’. Angel wing types also have interesting leaves, generally angular and wing-like, often with contrasting silver markings. The angels frequently bear large, attractive flower clusters, making them a good compromise for people who want plants that look equally good in or out of bloom.
Those enterprising new Victorians at Terra Nova are introducing quite a few begonias this year, including a series of three technicolor angel wing types called Garden Angel®. One of them, Garden Angel ‘Blush’ features silver leaves blushed with rosy violet. The veins are black and the leaves bear a closer resemblance to Japanese maples than guardian angels. In the rex realm, Terra Nova is also introducing the T Rex® series, featuring plants like T Rex ‘Painter’s Palette,’ which bears pale green leaves heavily veined in darker green and blushed at the center of each leaf with dark rose. Like other fancy leaf types, the new Terra Nova introductions are only hardy outdoors in parts of the South and West, USDA zones 9 through 11. However, they are being touted as good garden plants and can certainly spend the growing season outside, either in pots or in the ground.
Indoors the fancy leaf types like bright indirect light, as in an eastern or western exposure and temperatures above sixty degrees. Both rexes and angel wings like a high degree of humidity—above fifty percent—so grow them with the pots positioned atop a tray filled with pebbles and water. Many a fancy leaf begonia has been killed by the kindness of overwatering, so refrain from watering until the soil appears dry. When you finally do water, stop when you see liquid running out of the bottom drainage holes. Feed once a week during the summer growth season with a balanced fertilizer. Rex types are like many gardeners and need a rest period in the winter. When this happens, keep them in a well-lighted place, give them the rest they need and don’t overwater just because the plants seem torpid.
The new angel wings are lovely, but my heart pines for a few of the rex types. I am very drawn to ‘Curly Fireflush’, a rex with spiraling leaves decorated with chocolate and a hint of red. Find it, along with a herd of other rexes and a host of angels at Logee’s, 141 North Street, Danielson, CT 06239, (888) 330-8038; www.logees.com. Free catalog. The Terra Nova introductions will be in nurseries and garden centers next spring.