This rex type Begonia is a vigorous grower that does well in a terrarium or a windowsill, provided it doesn’t dry out too much. It has beautiful silvery leaves with reddish-purple leaf venation.
Categories: Blog, Plant Photo Library • Tags: begonia, houseplant, purple, red, species, u512
This no-fuss Peperomia does wonderfully as a houseplant or in a terrarium. Its vigor and resilience make it an ideal plant for beginners and those looking for a plant they can quickly share with friends (it propagates readily from leaf cuttings). There are many forms of caperata in cultivation, this one has a lot of pink. I have no idea how it got into my collection. I think it may have grown from seed. So, I don’t know anything about […]
Categories: Blog, collection • Tags: caperata, easy, medium, Peperomia, pink, small
This Central American species is easily distinguished by the red leaf spot marking the point where the leaf attaches to the petiole. It is a compactly growing rhizomatous species that grows to 6-8 inches. This species can be grown as a houseplant or a terrarium plant. I have my mother plant in an east-facing window and it is not too much light. The flowers are white and stand on a tall flower stalk above the plant. The flowers, a bit […]
Categories: Blog, Plant Photo Library • Tags: begonia, conchifolia, rubrimacula, var
This rhizomatous Begonia can be grown in open air or in a terrarium. Its leaves are highly variegated and resemble pustulata, but with distinctive striping.
Categories: Blog, Plant Photo Library • Tags: begonia, hybrid, karl foster, rhizomatous
Inevitably, if you collect plants long enough, and with enough vigor, you will run out of space. My partner and I bought our house two years ago, at which time all my plants and frogs were confined to two walls of a small bedroom. Both of the small spare rooms are now filled to the brim, and the living space is not far behind. It has been a fun challenge, to find plants that are suited to terrariums and open […]
Categories: Blog, Cultivation, Plant Photo Library • Tags: greenspace, growout, house, houseplant, plants, showerplant, takingover, terrariums, vignette, windowplant
This variable species occurs in China and has at least two color forms that look drastically different. There are green and pink types, pictured below. The growth habit is similar but the pink one seems to have more upright new growth, whereas the green one produces new growth that faces toward the ground. This species can grow to about 8 inches but often stays smaller. It is covered in fuzzy hairs and produces fruits that turn from cream to red […]
Categories: Blog, Plant Photo Library • Tags: ardisia, china, hairy, mamillata, medium, small
This article is meant as an introduction to collecting Begonia seed, primarily for those who are new to identifying flower parts and collecting seed. I have only been doing this since early fall, so take this with a grain of salt. One of the purposes here is to combine information from multiple sources into one article. All information pulled directly from external sources is credited. The following information is what I have found to be true in collecting Begonia species […]
Categories: Blog, Cultivation • Tags: bloom, collection, fertile, flower, ovary, pollinate, seed, seeds
This plant has been sold in Asia under the name ‘versicolor red and black’, however, I have not seen any evidence of flowers to confirm this. It is a newer species to cultivation, whatever it is. It does resemble versicolor in the compact growth habit, but it grows its rhizome in more of a trailing way than other versicolor forms. The leaves maintain their beautiful color, getting darker with maturity. The new growth is a bright reddish-pink, as are the […]
Categories: Blog, Plant Photo Library • Tags: aff., asia, begonia, fuzzy, medium, noid, red and black, small, versicolor
This beautiful Episcia species is unique in that its flowers aren’t the typical orange or red, but a blueish violet. The leaves are beautifully patterned with green venation on dark purple-brown leaves. It occurs throughout central and northern South America, as far south as Colombia.
