Beguiling begonias

‘Benitochiba’ rex begonia (Begonia ‘Benitochiba’)   
30 to 65 cm x 30 to 60 cm   
Pink flowers bloom sporadically during the year; bubblegum pink or silvery pink, maple leaf-shaped leaves are heavily edged in black or reddish brown; has the foliage appeal of a rex begonia and the shape of a cane type.

‘Escargot’ rex begonia (B. ‘Escargot’)
30 cm x 30 cm   
Sparse, rosy pink blooms in winter; huge, spiral leaves resemble a snail shell and have a chocolate, champagne, silver and pewter metallic sheen.

‘Connee Boswell’ rhizomatous begonia  (B. ‘Connee Boswell’)
45 cm to 1 m x 50 cm   
Small, pink blooms; deeply incised leaves are silver with iridescent pinks and lilacs along the veins.

‘Fireworks’ rex begonia (B. ‘Fireworks’)    
30 cm x 30 cm   
Sparse, light pink blooms appear in late spring; huge, metallic violet leaves are marked with a deep purple central star and silver highlights.

Serratipetala cane-type begonia (B. serratipetala)    
45 cm x 45 cm  
Pink flowers bloom sporadically during the year; glossy,
dark green, deeply toothed foliage, dark red undersides
and stems.

‘Raspberry Swirl’ rex begonia (B. ‘Raspberry Swirl’)    
30 cm x 60 cm   
Blooms are rare; silvery green-edged leaves have a central raspberry-coloured swirl and patches of red with darker red and silver; young leaves are silver and darken with age.
‘Wineuma’ rex begonia

(B. ‘Wineuma’)    
60 cm x 60 cm   
Blooms are rare; large, dramatic, bronze-to-pumpkin pie-coloured, maple leaf-shaped leaves taper to a swirl near the stem, undersides are purplish bronze.

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