plant friday: begonia

 Happy plant Friday!

This picture is from a friend here in the new city. Jessica has a cute house not too far from us.
She says I inspired her to purchase the begonia sitting in the window above her kitchen sink. She says she cannot keep plants alive. I, of course, disagree. Her begonia is lovely and blooming!

- i believe this is a red tuberous begonia -

Why I like begonias:  They are low maintenance, forgiving and beautiful indoors and out.
Inside care:  They like humidity, so if your house is dry, you may want to set the pot in a tray with pebbles and water. To avoid root rot, let the soil dry out some before watering.
Place your begonia in a place that gets much indirect sun. While begonias do not require removal of
dead flowers, I think it's important to remove them along with any dead leaves. You can fertilize- just follow the package directions+. And, they respond well to replanting if and when needed.
Outdoor care:  Plant your begonias after risk of spring freeze. They do well in partial to mostly shaded areas. Keep the outdoor soil moist. Follow inside care for fertilizing and dead foliage removal.

There are many varieties of begonias, and they are widely available at local hardware stores and nurseries. Now is the perfect time to think about planting them in your garden or in that empty pot on the porch!

+ a note about fertilizing- i am bad at it. there are fertilizers you can add to your watering can at every
water or you can mix up a weak batch and fertilize once a week. i would say i only fertilize once every two to three months, but i do more during any plants growing season.

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p.s.  jessica recently crafted the mason jar pendant (shown above). it's on my project list, too. i even have the materials, so i will let you know how it goes. if you want to make one before me, follow the steps on
this gal's fabulous blog.

 in the details:

want your plant featured on plant friday, send me a pic!