Iron Cross Begonia

Leaves with the sun shining through

I love the iron cross begonia, or Begonia masoniana. I love it so much, I keep killing it and trying again! I swear I'm not going to fail this time. What keeps pulling me back in? Look at that foliage! Who needs flowers?! Iron cross is one of the beautiful foliage plants called Rex begonias, and is named after the German iron cross which it resembles.
Why do mine keep dying? Well, they probably didn't die. They went into a resting period and I thought I had killed them. Now I know that if they "die" in the late fall or early winter, they will probably come back in the Spring. Good to know. Or, I might have kept them too wet, or not humid enough..... All of these are possibilities. They need extra humidity, but also good air circulation, or they may get a bad case of powdery mildew, which can also kill the plant. Letting water set on the leaves can also cause powdery mildew.

The surface of the iron cross begonia leaf

Plant your begonias in a porous, slightly acidic potting mix that contains peat moss and leaf mold. African violet potting mix is good for begonias. Some sources say to fill the bottom of the pot with half-decayed leaves. Also, Rex begonias like a shallow pot, keeping their roots snug in the pot, never over potting them.

The leaves from underneath

Notice the hairs on the outer edge of this leaf

Hopefully you have had better luck with your iron cross than I have had in the past, but if not, try it again.

You can also see the hairs on all the bumps on the top of this leaf

Begonias at Hidden Lake Gardens

Begonia masoniana  Iron Cross Begonia

 Two weeks ago, we went to Hidden Lake Gardens in Tipton, MI. We were there during their annual Spring show.  You can see those pictures here. In past visits I have taken pictures of the begonia collection. I decided to share those in this post. Many of the begonias have Logee's Greenhouse tags in them. Logee's is a mail order nursery in Danielson, Conn. with a large begonia collection and many of them are represented at Hidden Lake. Another great mail order place is Kartuz Greenhouse. For really great information on begonias, visit Brad's Begonia World page .

Iron cross begonia

The iron cross begonia is a rhizomatous begonia, meaning it grows from stems, (rhizomes) that creep along on the surface of the soil. This type is easily grown from these rhizomes. Cut pieces of them, lay them on the surface of a container of moist soil, pressing them down into the soil a bit so that they have good contact. I use florist pins to pin them down, to ensure they are in contact with the soil. Roots will grow from the stem pieces and send up new leaves from the top side. If your rhizomatous begonias start defoliating, they are either cold sensitive or staying too wet. Most begonias have very shallow root systems, thus needing only a shallow pot. I find that clay pots work well and look good with the begonia foliage.

Begonia 'Mike's Mauve'

'Mike's Mauve' is a rex begonia. These begonias have extremely colorful leaves. Some of the mini rexes need to be kept in a terrarium because their requirements for humidity are so high. All rexes appreciate high humidity, so keeping them on a tray of wet pebbles is a great idea. Do not keep the soil overly wet and good air circulation is essential, as well.

Begonia listada

Begonia listada  is a species begonia, meaning it hasn't gone through hybridization, but is in its natural state as it would be in the wild. It is native to the far south of Brazil. Lisatada is derived from Spanish and means "striped" obviously referring to its leaves.                                

Begonia listada leaf

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'Northern Lights' begonia

'Northern Lights' is a rhizomatous begonia and I have one of these at home growing in a large shallow clay pot.

Eyelash begonia- Begonia bowerae

The Begonia bowerae is a rhizomatous begonia. It is a Mexican species, also called eyelash begonia because of the white hairs on the edges of the leaves that look like eyelashes. This is a small begonia that is perfect for a terrarium. 





Begonia x erythrophylla or beefsteak begonia is a very old variety that almost everyone has seen. This is one of those "Oh, my grandma grew one of those" plants. It was hybridized in the mid 1800's and it is quite often passed down through families, not unlike the Christmas cactus.'Bunchii' below is a cultivar of erythrophylla.

Begonia x erythrophylla 'Bunchii'

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Begonia 'Palomar Prince'

Begonia 'Black Velvet'

Begonia schmidtiana - Schmidt begonia

The Begonia schmidtiana, from Brazil, is a very hairy species. This is the species that the semperflorens begonia came from. It needs a warm, bright position out of direct sunlight.

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Begonia ricinifolia 'Immense'

Begonia ricinifolia 'Immense' is a rhizomatous begonia and this one is, as it's name implies, immense! I also have one of these at home, as well, but it isn't immense as this one. The hairy stems add more interest to the plant. Notice them in the picture below.

Begonia 'Immense'

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Begonia 'Chessun'

Begonia 'Di-erna'

The begonia 'Di-erna' is a cane type begonia. It was about 4' tall and had these beautiful large cluster of pink flowers hanging off it. 

Begonia 'Holley Beauty'

Begonia 'Holley Beauty'

As you have seen, begonias are a very colorful and most are easy to grow. I would try a rhizomatous begonia first, as they seem to be the easiest to grow. But, let me warn you now, you won't be able to stop at just one. Soon you'll have a collection of begonias. They are a very diverse group of plants and the more, the better!