Hi Well I heard back from my garden center and they said they didn't know what was wrongand asked if I had done anything different with this one--nope treated the same as the rest. They did say however that sometimes they do get runts and they discard them and if I wanted a replacement they would give me one. I guess because I bought these small and they weren't flowering they didn't have a chance to discard mine, My lesson--buy them when they are bloooming. If you are really dissatisfied with yours I would call and see what can be done

Are they indoors now? I wouldn't worry too much about them during winter - just give them the best light you can. Most important thing is to keep the stems firm and healthy. Pick off the old, diseased leaves and new leaves should appear if conditions are good for growing. Your first description sounded like some powdery mildew which can be hard on certain begonias and just a pest on some others. Spray with a fungicide to keep it under control.

I understand that a number of different "species" are now properly considered B. dregei. I used to have B. partita, which I think I probably got at Kartuz. Whether B. partita, richardsiana, etc. are all independent synonyms or whether they represent "varieties" is an argument for the taxonomists and botanists. However, there is precedent for the use of the term "Begonia dregei var. richardsiana" in a botanical garden's collection (link at bottom). The link to the photo at U. Connecticut seems to no longer work. Whether or not the botanists consider this a variety or a synonym of dregei is not the point. The point is that there are several somewhat different looking plants that were originally given different names. Now all are considered Begonia dregei. I doubt many botanists would object to non-botanists simply calling these different "varieties" of the species. Here is a link that might be useful: Database indicating use of

Ooooh wow! Those are so pretty, perfect! If you don't have an interest in new plants right now, you could use strong fishing line or steel wire to attach the pots more securely to the deck rails.