Daily details from the garden to bring you inspiration throughout the year
I love a Christmas mystery as much as the next person, but today’s has less to do with a body in the library and footsteps in the snow than it does the identity of one particular begonia. It was sold to me as Begonia ‘Rex Zumba’, grown in Holland and apparently ‘as rare as hen’s teeth’. This last description at least seems accurate, it’s one plant variety which garners precious few hits on an internet search, though the images that do come up aren’t completely unfamiliar, if perhaps not bang on. Ah, well. I shall just take care of it, and enjoy its diminutive leaves (particularly so when compared to other rex begonias), its wonderful maroon markings on a bright green ground, and the way the hairs on all parts catch the winter light. In spring I’ll treat it to a larger container, and give it room to grow. If it’s that rare, it could be the making of us both.
A year of garden coaching
I’m very excited about my new venture – it’s a way for me to work with more people than I can physically get around to, helping them to make the very best of their gardens in a way that suits the life they lead. If you’d like to find out more, please click here to book for a January 2020 start.
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Hello! I’m Andrew, gardener, blogger, podcaster, and owner of a too-loud laugh, and I’m so pleased you’ve found your way to Gardens, weeds & words. You can read a more in-depth profile of me on the About page, or by clicking the image above.
