WOW!!! Thank you for the detailed post, that was great to see and read.

Good info on the watering. Logee's said to let it dry down between watering as well.

I have read these respond well to pruning and can be kept low and bushy if desired with relative ease? Do you fert, lightly, with each water in winter? Something like 1/8 - 1/4tsp of Foliage Pro per gallon.

The rule of thumb on watering is deep watering but not again until dry an inch below the surface. I don't want to stick my finger into each and every pot and some pots are not even an inch deep. HA! So, I trickle water in winter. I check at least every other day typically. If leaving for a week then I would do a deep watering and hope for the best when I return. Anyway if it starts wilting and is growing, then start watering it more.

I figure it is much easier to add water if underwatered but much harder to remove water if you overwater.

I haven't had great luck on pruning maculata itself so I basically leave it be. My seed grown plants do grow quickly so I do cut these back hard at times.

I quit fertilizing in winter as I have found they do start growing and eventually crash. Not sure why that is, so I usually wait until March or so to give it some fertilizer. If you just add some good potting soil on top of the surface, that often makes a huge difference too.

I cut this unidentified cane back to the ground in Jan, 2017

added some mix to cover the stumps

long canes can be cut again

middles and tops (make sure you keep the bare stems oriented in the correct position)

use cheap drinking cups with slits cut in the bottom (or drilled holes) - half the middles here

half the tops here

mother plant a year later (Jan, 2018)

the cuttings finally potted up after 7 months (Aug, 2017)

Mid-Oct, 2017 after a couple of months with a bigger pot and fresh soil.

Guess I didn't follow their progress in 2018. Put them outside for summer and rarely watered them.

I don't have sun in the basement - just simple cheap shop lights.

They will wilt if they dry out entirely so keep an eye on that. If you "trickle" water every other day or so, you will never have that problem. What I am really saying is don't keep it sopping wet. Once that happens, it takes a lot longer to dry out and roots may start to rot if you keep it in an overly wet situation.

These canes are in a pan on the floor of the basement but have a spot light 8 feet above them. It is dimmer than it looks in this photo.

The bigger leafed ones are Silvermist (or Silver Mist?) (3 days ago)

Flaming Queen is not doing too shabby under lights except it is taller than the light so I had to move it to another shelf with more headroom to get more light. (the first of this month)

Here is a pan of rescues at the last minute this fall (probably already had a frost or two or three). Simply pull up rooted vines of Begonia convolvulacea, a variegated pothos, and Begonia 'Morocco'. That includes a little Georgia red clay and leaf litter. Water freely as it dries out since the water evaporates a lot quicker without a media to store it like a sponge. Remove old yellow and dying leaves and it does pretty good.

This area of one room is in very dim light but doing okay. The idea is to get them through winter. Even the restarted cacti are doing okay.

Here is an example of part of one room in the basement with shelving and lights. Big plants just have to make do with whatever light gets bounced around.

even succulent like Kalanchoe, Agave, and Aloe make do next to B. 'Escargot' and Stromanthe Tri-Color. Sanchezia has a leaf peeking under the light as well and it looks poor compared to outdoors but the idea is getting it through winter.

a few rexes and florist ivy

Cracked Ice is a very small leaf cane begonia

This pan of begonias sits next to one window in the basement but also has an overhead spot on 24 hours which is not all that bright.

This overgrown crocodile fern is doing fine sitting outside a shelf of lights.

even a mini-orchid is blooming again (3 or 4 years in a row now)

My second glitch with Garden Web. GRRR! After adding ten photos and a little description, I submitted it and it failed. All wasted effort.

Yes, propagation is fairly easy for canes. Rhizomatous are a tad more difficult but after you get the hang of it, they are fairly easy too.

I don't have much sun for my plants in winter so I rely on inexpensive shop lights (T8 - almost the cheapest I could find at Home Depot) and a box of bulbs (no special "plant lights")

Angry? They will wilt when they go totally dry and eventually die if you don't give them a drink. I like to barely water them indoors during slow growth or semi-dormancy. Let the plant dictate what it needs. If it is growing and wilting in a day, then give it more water. If it is not growing and happy, don't water if it looks okay. Or you can stick your finger in the soil and sample it. Sometimes I just feel the surface to see if it is dry. Maybe years of growing have helped me recognize what is right and what is wrong?

If you overwater, no problem as long as you let it dry out - A LOT! Don't water an overwatered plant as it will start the spiral of root rot. All is not lost even if this occurs - save the tops and healthy sections and start it over but it is best not to be in this situation. Been there, done that!

I am going to try to add just five photos this time instead of the max of ten.

one part of one room showing stands with shop lights. The bigger plants and tall plants like canes that are not cut have to sit on the floor and absorb whatever light they can gather. It's not ideal but it does get them through winter where I can start the process anew.

There is enough light for the moth orchids to bloom each and every year. This is a mini one.

My brown spiderwort is happy

Cracked Ice is doing well

Escargot is even blooming.

Hopefully this one will be accepted by GW.

Thanks Treegeek!

WOW. Looks like my first post came through after all even after I got a message saying it failed. GRRR!

I hope to tell everybody that if I can grow begonias, then anyone can. It isn't hard but you have to learn what they need and watch for problems. The rest is a pattern you follow year in, year out.

I didn't take a million pictures like I normally do of all my begonias last year but did get a few. This is September 18. Unfortunately some rotted out or dried out (usually the smallest of pots).

hc..I love seeing your pictures..I regret not taking MORE pics of my garden..I was always waiting until it was perfect..I should've just grabbed the camera and gone for it..

Treegeek,

Yes, these were all outside in suburbs of Atlanta from early May to late October/early November each and every year.

It can be stressful growing your first begonia(s) to begin with. Have no fear though, just give them some light whether artificial or natural, water as needed (whether you adopt my drizzle method or water thoroughly and wait a week or two before doing it again). Once it gets over the stress of going from a nursery to a home, it will perk up and start growing. Don't expect a lot in winter though - just keep it happy.

I pot up when I want to, not when the plant wants to. Yes, they react well to repotting as long as you don't keep the soil soaking wet. My adage (and I am sure others as well) "If you want a big plant, you need a big pot" but there are caveats with that - if you overwater a big pot with small plants, it will never dry out. That is why most experts recommend going up to the next size pot which is good advice but not the only advice. I often keep plants in smaller pots due to moving plants indoors and outside, maintaining some space indoors, and the weight of bigger pots is a strain to move at times.

Logee's has a greenhouse too which makes a big difference. A pro grower should know what to do and not to do (I would hope). I go to Orlando every year to buy a truckload of begonias for our club (annual sale). The owners there can shear a mother plant to start new plants but will not cut it again for some time. Then every few years they get rid of the mother plant because they have a new one coming on.

Nicholsworth,

With digital cameras and now smart phones, why wait to take photos? If you wait to see a perfect plant, you may be waiting forever. Take close ups of the leaves and blooms, find the parts that provide interest. Even pictures of damaged leaves, diseased leaves, potting up is instructional for other people who wish to take the plunge. It is a journey whatever you do. Why not document it and post what you like. Your photo skills will improve as well as your garden. Start young and watch them age?

we started this bed of Yoshino cherries and azaleas in 2008

This is what it looked like 3 years ago (April 2016)

before my wife got out there with pruners and a saw.

Treegeek,

back to large pots:

Lotusland (kept it for 3 years in an 18 inch pot before losing it probably overwatered it in winter)

It started out like this in a six inch pot.

thanks! (again!)

This little Wightii is in a small pot, ill see how it does by June and make a decision to up pot then or not. Most likely it will go into a clay pot either way.

It seems to be drying down about once every 5 days or so, I am keeping a close eye on it. It has sent out four new leaves since I brought it home last week! Its growing, so I assume keep feeding it lightly, right?

Love those cherries, good trees.

Do you know the name of the begonia with large round, glossy leaves with pink sprays of flowers? It is in the 6th photo from the bottom. TIA

Treegeek,

You can feed it but go slowly. Slow release or a weak solution of water soluble. Once it starts growing you can add more but again it probably doesn't need much at this stage. Topping the pot with a mix that contains some slow release may be all you need at this point.

junco,

I think you are talking about Freddie - a very large glossy succulent leaf with the spray of tiny pink flowers. Looks like the beefsteak on steroids...

hc mcdole-- Thanks for the reply. I see the difference. I think mine is the Beefsteak. A pass along with no name, so now I know!

Nichoslworth,

The old leaves will fall off eventually if you don't pull them off beforehand. Your $1 bargain is looking good and healthy. Removal of the old leaves will make it look better IMO.

These are from Exotic Angels and can be picked up usually in the spring through the fall at WM and Lowe's. I picked up a big hanging basket of it at Lowe's a year or two ago but lost over half of it from either overwatering or no water or shading out from bigger plants this summer.

The name is Rumba I believe.

I usually pick up a few each year even if I have some left from the previous year. They are inexpensive and brighten up a spot. Here is one.

another one from Lowe's or WM

Here is he one I think you have (Rumba) and I picked up at Lowe's two years ago.

Here is a pink colored one from Lowe's (about $3.50 for a four inch and $6 for a five inch)

Don't forget Fedor which is adored by lots of folks

I have a feeling a lot of these smaller leaf rex begonias come from Antoon Hoefnagels (Holland) who hybridizes a lot of rexes for Europe.

This one is probably a hybrid from Harmony Foliage though but still bought at Lowe's

I picked this beauty up at a Lowe's in Sanford, Florida when I was down there buying a load of begonias the following day. Very large pot that I almost lost due to overwatering but managed to cut back and save it.

picked this beauty up at a local Walmart

I picked up the rex in the middle of this photo at our Kroger last year for $3.34 (3 for $10) but the print was so small I simply read $10. By the time I realized my mistake after I got home and visited them a couple days later to pick up the green ones (probably River Nile) they were all gone. Hindsight being 20/20, I should've gone right back into the store after seeing the receipt when I got into my truck. GRRR!

hc..I once heard that each leaf on a plant is a "food factory" so sometimes I leave ugly leaves until the tiny leaves are bigger..I agree that a plant looks better without ugly leaves..mine does look like Rumba..I do want more begonias..I'm looking forward to spring..can't wait until the garden centers are full again..

Just lost my typing again! Drats!

Cut off old yellow diseased leaves as this will encourage the plant to put out new leaves. the only thing I would try to keep even an old leaf, is a very tiny plant struggling to make it. Diseased or pest laden leaves are best cut off completely and discarded. I just removed every growing leaf of my Colocasia 'White Lava' yesterday to rid most of the plant of spider mites (yeah, there will still be some there but I get rid of most in one fell swoop). Similarly I will remove every mildew infected leaf of Sinbad instead of spraying - fairly effective. Ugly leaves are up to you to keep in hopes of helping the plant or ridding of to beautify and push the plant to produce more.

I had a dental cleaning yesterday. The dentist office is near four stores with nurseries (they are a chain nursery store in Atlanta area, Home Depot, Lowe's, and a small nursery that is usually closed in winter). Anyway I stopped at Lowe's and the chain nursery and didn't see much to buy. Maybe Valentine's will have some more but by mid March into April things should be popping here. Maybe a little later for you?

I have no preference for pot type - both clay and plastic have their pros and cons. Weight, porosity, clean up ease, weaknesses, etc. I have so many in my "junkyard" that I try to use from there instead of buying new pots. If I am just propagating I use old nursery pots to give away. Broken pots are further broken to use as shards in pots to keep squirrels from digging in newly planted pots and spread on the ground over planting holes not just for squirrels but also my "meth lab" dog. HA! Metal, glazed, resin, concrete are some other choices.

I like urns too as I noticed yours. I may have one just like it but cannot remember what is in it.

Here is my goat head urn (resin) holding one of my variegated yucca plants.

at one time it had strawberry begonia in it but I took it out and put it in the ground.

the other goat head urn has Yucca Color Guard in it which is meh. I think it got too much shade from a volunteer birch this past summer so it is greatly weakened. Hope it resumes this summer as I will have it in full sun from now on.

My pot junk yard and this was in 2013! The pans are ready for moving plants back indoors late fall. Cheap lasagna pans make wonderful drip trays and propagation trays (punch some holes in the bottom with a knife or pruning shears).

Over time all the pots will break down sooner or later. A lot of my 18 inch pots are falling apart I suppose from being outdoors year round. Resin starts breaking down? Who would've thought that would happen.

At one time I could actually use empty pots in the curio cabinet. Now they are relegated to the dungeons of the basement somewhere.

Even on top of the curio

up above the front door in a fake dormer window

If you ever go to a place like Thailand, then you are in for a treat with potted plants.

last photo as my 10 are up. The grey pot was busted last year (2017) when the tree cutters must've dropped a limb on it and not said a word about it. GRRR! This was back in 2006 though and the bamboo was put in the ground and the fuchsia lost in winter.

hc..I trust your expertise..I'm happy to hear that I can remove unattractive leaves without harming the plant (maybe even benefit it)..your goat head urns are gorgeous!..very "old world"..classic..I love how plants are elevated when they're planted in an urn..I love the pedestals in your Thailand pic that are elevating regular pots..my pot collection is not small but yours is huge!..I have concrete, clay, resin and of course plastic..great colors but plastic..I had a few glazed ceramic but even though I'm extremely careful they developed fine cracks..then pieces of glaze fell off..and I never leave any pots out in the winter except the concrete..as you said all pots break down sooner or later..the pic from Thailand is absolutely beautiful!..the building, the tile floor, the pots and the plants..everything is just beautiful..I would've enjoyed more travel but I'm grateful for the places that I have seen..you'll see plants here in April but I hate to buy any annuals until mid May..I would buy a houseplant if I see a pretty one..I just truly love plants..

I like that picture. I probably couldn't even get in those cars anyway. And the mansion - too much to take care of. Probably cost more in annual upkeep than the place is worth. Kind of like Holyfield's mansion below Atlanta sold on the courthouse steps for not paying the tax bills.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2556035/Rick-Ross-spends-5-8-million-Evander-Holyfields-109-room-foreclosed-Georgia-mansion.html

If you want a glazed pot to last through winter you need one of those thick wall ones (Norcal (is that North California?) from Lowe's) or Vietnamese pots. The thinner walls are too fragile. Then there are the ceramic pots that have a thin glaze of paint on the clay shell. Looks good until it flakes off. Then you can have the cute stuff.

Cute but not my style

Here is a flaked off chunk of a glazed pot. The other pot that was from the same set and cracked right down the middle

Way back when (2006) I bought some 18 inch pots and 22 inch pots. The 18 inch are starting to fall apart unless I brought them indoors. The 22 are still okay but showing age. Sam's Club is hard to beat for price on these giant pots.

owning a place like that would do nothing but stress me out!!..it's just too much..I would hate fancy cars..how would you haul plants, pots, mulch, potting soil etc?..haha..I haven't bought any yet but I've seen pots at Lowe's that say 'frost resistant'..I'm curious to pick one up to see if they're heavier..yep my falling apart glazed pot looked exactly like yours..my neighbor tried growing tomatoes (didn't work too shady) in some big beautiful blue and green pots from Sam's Club last year..she told me they were "a great price"..I'm thinking $25..the flip flop pots would be fun for some but not my style either..my oldest pot is a concrete square that a previous homeowner left at the house we bought in 1987!..I brought it when I moved here in 2005..I've had it 32 years and it didn't look new at all when I first saw it..could be 40? 50? years old!..concrete does last!..

This was the 3rd time today my post disappeared. Instead of adding photos (because they may magically appear later on), I will just comment about concrete pots. HEAVY but yeah, I have a few of those too but never ever planted them. What a waste? And concrete will break too as our birdbath split in the bath part making it useless. I should chip it up and use it for landscaping somewhere.

I like your lemon yellow hostas! What are they?

Fancy cars are for young folks. I prefer my pickup but probably go to something else the next time.

The big pots at Sam's (Costco) are very affordable but very big. Two years ago I bought some smaller pots at Big Lots and Family Dollar (or Dollar General?) The paint looked really good (thought it was homogenous) but it turned out to be paint that started chipping this past summer. Disappointed.

Okay one photo on a dare.

18 inch with B. 'Sinbad', Strobilanthes (Persian Shield), and Persicaria 'Red Dragon'

those hostas are Fire Islands..beautiful spring color with red petioles..but as the season progresses they lose the yellow and are sort of lime green..the yellow is great while it lasts!..here's a few more in the front..I couldn't find a good pic from later in the year..see a tray with begonias that I hadn't taken to the back yet?..the creeping jenny is prettiest for only a short time too..

I have a Fire Island somewhere but haven't noticed it in a few years. Maybe it checked out. The bright yellow catches my eye though. Here is my sole Fire Island.

Devil's Advocate dwarfed it back in 2013 but I really haven't paid either much attention since then, probably forgot both their names.

that's it..you should snoop around in the spring and see if you can find it..Fire Island is sort of small..I've had hosta disappear..people on the hosta forum talk about it all the time..usually a fancy one..not the tried and true common ones..

I will see come April or so. Have too many other beauties to be worried about this hosta.

the pictures above coincided with my trip to Orlando for our club's annuals sale.

Very nice, shady walkway there. Mine around the house is mostly sunny...

I love my shady lot..IF I ever move shade is a must have..no shade would be a dealbreaker..

I had ten trees taken down in 2017, a few in 2012, and maybe ten or so in 2006. I still have some I may have taken down which would leave a few big shade trees. Those trees grow so fast!

This is how it looked after the last batch of trees were taken down including four big poplars.

That was a lot of wood left behind (they removed the limbs from the property but I allowed them to let the logs because I didn't want them trampling everything hauling it to the street.

It was hard on some hydrangeas and hostas but overall I think a lot of plants love the extra light and water the big trees hogged.

One year later, this azalea appreciated it the extra sun and water as years before it was not doing all that great.

and Little Honey was spectacular.

it looks like you had trees to spare and still have shade..it does look as if your shrubs thrived after the trees were removed..I'm planning to move some hostas that are in too much shade..they're not dying but they're not thriving..the big logs from my neighbor's removed trees to hold my compost..

The logs will rot eventually. We stacked ours near the back fence to keep our dog from hitting the neighbors' fence when their dogs are out and hopefully slow down the floods when we get a storm. Most are full of mushrooms after one year.

This was in Feb before splitting and stacking.

Could stack leaf litter over them as well to make them rot faster.

Found this little coleus growing on some discarded bark late October so I took it indoors as well.

Sometimes it is better to go hiking and let the gardening up to nature?

my comment just disappeared!..a brief version..my logs will rot someday but for now they're helpful..the irregular crooked piece of limb (pic#3) serves as an edging and retaining wall..I planted ferns behind it..ferns are died back now..a fox that came by..if I've showed you this already I'm sorry..hard to remember everything..

Better to let them rot than burn them. Ever hear of Hugelkultur? Me neither until I read about it in a magazine. You basically make compost piles (big) with the logs in the middle and this will feed the area for many years.

Is that a fox? Cool. Guess they like to get some treats too. I've not seen any here but my daughter said they had some in their old neighborhood (and coyotes too).

I've heard of Hugelkultur..I would need a swimming pool sized hole to bury these haha!..yes a fox..we used to see him/her? often but I haven't seen it for awhile..I've heard foxes are good for rabbit control..the weather forecast said we could get 5 to 8 inches of snow..ugh..Mon the temperature could be minus 5..we went to the store yesterday and stocked up..we're ready to stay in for a few days..it's great to be retired and able to stay home when it's cold..

You can create many piles (not just a swimming pool size one - HA) or a long row. Do a web search and see how many different ways to create hügelkultur piles.

I'm sure foxes are good for a lot things. Those pesky wabbits love my lilies and young hydrangeas. GRRR!

It is hard to believe that we are going to be plunging into the teens here ourselves with a high barely above freezing Monday. We went shopping earlier with no jackets or coats. Feels like spring and I think I saw Forsythia in bloom somewhere today. Please keep the snow up there? HAHA!

the majority of my logs are ash..I think they'll last awhile..it's been above freezing and a lot of snow has melted..but it's coming back tomorrow..then Monday it will be absolutely freezing :-( I wish I was on a vacation somewhere warm lol..

They've modified our forecast - 45 high on Monday, low 25? But next weekend a deep freeze into Florida. UGH!

Time to move to Mexico where it is warm. Second time in Cancun - Valentine's week 2012

At home the week before, camellias in bloom

this one is my earliest bloomer and is in bloom now at the base of the shrub

your camellias are as pretty as plants in the tropics..I haven't been to Cancun but I've been to Cozumel..at least my house is warm!..

The first time we went to Cancun, we had a day trip to Cozumel - snorkel trip, lunch, shopping.

Thank goodness for a warm house. We lost power over a year ago for 24+ hours which was not fun at all. Slept in the living room around the fireplace that night. If that happened often I would opt for an emergency generator to kick on when it detected a power outage.

we went snorkeling in Cozumel too..loved it..no heat in the winter would be miserable..thankfully that's never happened to us..once the power was out about 3 hours in the summer..I went outside and worked..I heard it when the power kicked on..the house was stuffy without AC but that's my worst power outage story..

I knew people who lost power in the dead of winter for a week. I complained when we lost ours for over 24 hours. Guess that is still better than the folks in Puerto Rico or Mexico Beach, Florida or Pleasure /snark (Paradise), California.

First time we went to Cancun, we could climb the temple at Chichen Itza. Ten years later, we couldn't. GRRR!

It looked kind of scary due to the steep steps but really not that bad.