What kind of growing environment does wax begonia prefer?

Alternative names for wax begonia

Clam-flesh begonia, glass begonia, glass emerald, four-season begonia, melon-seed begonia, rose begonia, saxifrage begonia

Morphological characteristics of wax begonia

Wax begonia is a perennial evergreen herbaceous plant with upright, slightly succulent stems, 25 cm to 40 cm tall, and well-developed fibrous roots; the leaves are ovate to broadly ovate, obliquely attached at the base, green or purplish red; it is monoecious with unisexual flowers, and the cymes are axillary. Flower colors include red, pink and white, single or double, with a great many cultivars.

Growth habits of wax begonia

Wax begonia likes sunlight and tolerates slight shade, is rather afraid of cold, and prefers warmth, a slightly shady and humid environment and moist soil, but dreads heat and waterlogging; in summer, pay attention to shading, ventilation and drainage. Wax begonia is very sensitive to sunlight, so in summer the lighting time should be adjusted, a suitable growing environment should be created and shading should be carried out. Plants grown indoors should be placed in a spot with plenty of diffused light and good air circulation, and the windows should be opened at night for ventilation.

Cultivars of wax begonia

The leaves of wax begonia can be divided into two main types: one that turns red-green after exposure to sunlight, and the other copper-red. Flower colors include red, peach, white, bicolor and so on. Flower forms are also divided into double and single. Double-flowered cultivars are difficult to seed, so they are mostly propagated vegetatively by cuttings; the cultivars sold on the market are almost all hybrid F1 cultivars, which are vigorous in nature.

Common cultivars include: Olympia series, Hi-Fi series, Lolo series, Copper Leaf series, Ambassador series, Olympic, Dance series, Fax, Pink Melody, Vodka, and others.

Application value of wax begonia

Wax begonia is very widely used internationally; besides potted ornamental use, it is also a material for flower beds, hanging baskets, planting troughs, window boxes and indoor arrangements. It has developed rapidly in terms of the quantity and quality of use; in the United States, apart from potted ornamental use, it is widely used for flower bed display, and quite a few new cultivars with strong adaptability, heat resistance and moisture tolerance have been bred. In the Nordic countries of Denmark, Sweden, Norway and others, mainly high-quality potted ornamental types are produced and exported to Western European countries. Among them, the Danish company Dæhnfeldt is famous for producing wax begonia. The Netherlands, the United Kingdom and France also have a certain amount of production. In short, wax begonia is still quite a hot seller on the European market. Japan has a certain amount of production, mainly to meet the needs of the domestic market. Seeds are imported from the United States and Denmark.

In traditional production, wax begonia is a perennial greenhouse potted flower. In recent years people have applied it to flower bed arrangements with excellent results. With the appearance of some relatively heat-tolerant cultivars, wax begonia is very likely to become one of the most important flower bed flowers in China, with advantages such as a neat plant shape, abundant and dense flowers, great ease of combining with other flower bed plants, and a long ornamental period, and it is therefore becoming more and more popular. It is generally cultivated in spring and autumn.

The flower language of wax begonia

Wax begonia is suitable for giving to children, with the flower language: happy and intelligent; it can also be given to adults full of childlike innocence, implying spring all year round and growing ever younger.