Hostanista, I had that begonia but it died on me. Very finicky.

interesting.. but i just dont know ...

its not surprising its not vigorous ... more than half the leaf is white... but begonia is a shade plant.. but too much shade.. and its just going to go downhill ...lol.. this thing would probably be vigorous.. wherever the perfect spot for a GE is.. lol.. and most of us cant grow that piece of carp .. so good luck with that ... lol

and then on top of the majority white.. is black.. which is a deep red.. and how many vigorous red leafed plants do we have ... besides some red trees ... none???

there's something unsettling to it.. its a freak of nature.. instead of being restful to the eye .. and contemplative to the garden mind .. this thing just smacks me upside the head.. i have decided.. its too gaudy .. i do not like it ...

so it is said.. so it is written ...

commentary on opinions why it lacks vigor.. for your education ...

ken

I saw it too and thought it was pretty cool looking.

Karen

cool.. if you enjoy getting smacked upside the head????

ken

Ken -- you make a very good point. It isn't a very restful plant at all, is it? Consider me smacked upside the head.

now.. all that said ...

want to bet a shiny penny.. whether i would try it at least once..

rotflmbo ...

at worst.. it would be a garden curiosity.. and i could debate such with garden visitors .... while wearing a paisley shirt.. with paisley shorts.. and a paisley hat ... God talk about a paisley nightmare ... lol ... i mean really.. it reminds me of a suit tie i used to have ... a little 'wow' with a blue suit.. but crimminey.. lol... i worked myself back to a smack in the head.. lol ...

under $5.. i would go for it ... i would not pay a premium for it ....

ken

I'm far enough away that my head is safe, lol. I like it!
If it was not too pricey, I would like it on my deck, in a pot for the summer, treating it like an annual. It's a novelty.

I admit it's kinda cool, and I'd try to see if I could keep one healthy, for the challenge, BUT...It does look like something that would uproot itself in the middle of the night and crawl around and kill all the other plants in the garden...and maybe small animals too.....like an octopus climbing out of its tank and getting into the crab aquarium and eating all of them....and then shamble back to it's usual spot and re-root itself before you come out to water it in the morning. Very interesting-looking plant, though. I agree with Ken...Unsettling. Anyone recall that 50's sci-fi flick 'Day of the Triffids'? LOL

Pleasant Dreams,
Don B.

This post was edited by Don_in_Colorado on Fri, Feb 1, 13 at 8:44

Thanks for the pic, Hostanista; it started a cool thread!

Don B.
Westminster, CO.

I grow Rex Begonias but they have a sneaky way of changing colors and reverting back to something else in their past. When I got my Escargot it was cute and curled and now looks like something else in the Rex World. Oh and it was under $5. Maybe too much sun as they get full morning sun here. I love how colorful they are. Damn headed off to work. At least it is Friday. Happy Friday!

This is another Begonia called River Nile ( Not d'Nile though Ken LOL) I killed my Escargo one but would try again if it were available. This one did very well as a companion plant outside with the hosta and has nice clusters of pink flowers.

No Escargot for me, but I've killed several of the begonia boliviensis, which I absolutely still LUST for. It is GORGEOUS.

This shot treated to make it look artsy.

This shot shown with the "green and white one" (hosta, that is)

I'm trying to remember the original poster of that picture of Escargot years ago. I believe it was on the New Jersey forum or it could have been on the begonia forum. I just came looking for it because I found it on an aliexpress store and after a search, I see it has been used and pinned over and over again.