Begonias: Growing and Caring for a Begonia plant

Begonias are a great addition to one’s garden. There are different varieties of begonias, and most of them are very easy to grow, making them ideal for people who have little time to care for their plants and gardens.

Types of Begonias

The most common type of begonias are as follows:

Wax begonias
Tuberous begonias
Angel wing begonias

My begonia (shown in the photo) is kept in a pot with no plate or saucer. This enables extra water to drain well and enables the plant to retain only the water it needs. I keep it in a place with lots of light in my garden, but with no direct sunlight. In colder weather, I water around once a week, whilst in warmer weather I vary from once a day to once every 3 days, depending on the level of heat. When watering, I tend to water until some excess water flows through the container holes at the bottom of the pot.

It is very easy to grow, robust and simple to plant. If planted in good soil with enough water and light, it will grow happily. If you have a begonia cutting, maybe obtained from a friend, you can plant this in a common pot with soil. Fill a pot to around 80% with potting soil and make a hole or space in the soil for the cutting to be put in. Once done, fill the remaining of the pot with more soil. Never fill a pot fully with soil, as these tend to overflow (and make a mess) when watering. The begonia flowers are also, in my opinion, extraordinarily beautiful, with tones of red, pink, or white. It is a perennial flowering plant, which means that it lives for more than two years, and all year round.

Angel Wing Begonia

My favourite type of begonia is called Angel wing begonia. In Malta, it is also called Ġwejnħet l-Anġlu, which also roughly translates to an angel’s wings. The angel wing begonia is a very old plant in Malta, that is not easy to find. Ironically, this type of begonia is quite delicate. It is damaged easily if it is hit, by for example another plant, and sometimes it is even damaged with heavy rainfall. It does not enjoy too much water or too much sun and requires good drainage. I grow my angel wing begonia in a plant pot without a saucer or plate to let the excess water drain properly. I keep it in a location with plenty of light but without direct sunlight, and I am very careful to handle it with attention.