They are gorgeous, Kate.

Oh, Kate, they are beautiful. I am partial to begonias, although I don't own any cane or rex ones. The rhizomatous ones I have make great landscape plants, but they are not as showy.

I ask myself, how on earth do polka dots happen? Isn't it a miracle that the code to this lies in the genetic material? How can it do that? Fascinating. But beautiful, in your case. You've made me crave the canes. I will be on the lookout for them! Thanks for posting your beauties!

Ana

Remind me that you want some when we start getting ready for the next swap, Ana. The canes start very easily from cuttings. I know the rex are supposed to be simple to start from leaf cuttings but I haven't mastered that technique yet.
Kate

Ooooooohhhh, I don't think I've ever seen these before! Kate, I just love that first one. Is that an angel wing? Excuse me while I wipe the drool off my chin.
~Betsy

It is an angel wing. I found this one at the Leu Gardens sale this year. In the bottom left corner of that first picture you can see one leaf from the cane pictured in #6. On that one, the spots are larger and more widely spaced. The flowers, instead of that pretty pink, are more salmony and sparkle like they were diamond dusted.

I have some in the garden that have survived for years and get very tall.

I really don't know the difference between the ones they call dragon wing and the angle wing. Both are cane begonias. Maybe the absence of spots makes it a dragon wing? Not sure...

Kate,awesome looking begonias.
Felix

Thanks Felix - you know if you ever want cuttings, I'll be happy to share.

Love your begonias, I too have recently become a fan. But I can't keep rex's alive. It seems you have to check them everyday, not too much water, but then water them well. I can't get it right. :o( I have the canes and rhizomes type and they do well right out in the garden.

Of course, everything would look better with some rain.

I struggle with the rex too. Lost one this past week that seemed fine right up until it went totally crispy! lol. I'm not exaggerating. One day it was fine and 2 days later when I looked at it again it appeared to have gone through a brush fire. The soil was still damp-ish so I think I may have overwatered this one. Or let the afternoon sun get to it. Or there's some other factor I haven't figured out yet.

On the Begonia Forum they talk about 'tenting' their cuttings and their young plants. I'm just not going to go through all that so my rex's will either toughen up and learn to live with me or they'll pass on and their places will be taken by more canes! It's a cruel world.

Beautiful Begonias!! I have few cane begonias but no blooms yet.
Jan

I love the different begonia leaves, I just wish I had better luck with them.

Sylvia

Oh my, those are absolutely gorgeous!! I have begonia envy now! Got three different starts at Ricky's swap, and they are all doing well. Now, I am thinking it would be natural to grow them out on my covered front walk in pots...renting, so pots and pot ghettos are my life!

girlsaylor

kate -- they're lovely. i THINK i got this from you a couple years ago at a trade in orlando (linda's?)... it was just a stick (a green one) for about a year before it stored up enough gumption to sprout leaves and flowers, a testament to its toughness:

i love these red dragonwing begonias. pam crawford's book on container flowers got me hooked on them. only flower i have that blooms 365 days a year. pretty drought tolerant. and so easy to start from cuttings -- i just stick them into the pot alongside the original plant.