Well, no, 'Can I Have A Piece Of That?' is not the real name of this begonia. I've forgotten the real one. It's an eye-catching cultivar, probably with the old reliable Begonia richmondensis somewhere in its ancestry. Perhaps its the contrast between the deep oiled bronze foliage color and the dainty white and rose pink flowers that makes it so striking. I have to watch it for White Fly, but otherwise nothing stops it but a long period of Santa Ana winds, which thrash and desiccate the plant to the point of death. I then cut it down to the ground, and it rapidly grows back and looks beautiful once again. It tolerates quite a lot of sun. In one place in the garden I have it between two roses, and it mostly steals the show.
Not once, but many times, a visitor to my garden, after touring the entire garden, and oohing and ahhing over this and that, will simply nod when seeing this begonia...yet at the end of the tour will say, "That begonia back there...can I have a piece of that?"
I think it's a good name!
I like that name too!
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteI stumbled upon your post while searching for B. richmondensis cultivars. Your 'Can I have a piece of that' Begonia is 'Maribel Pink Shades'. It is not widely available, which is a great mystery to me. I grow it in my coastal Bay Area garden, and it is just a champion plant. -It literally blooms year round here, and the freak freeze we had this winter didn't phase it for even a moment. Here's a link to one of the few pics of it on the net: http://www.mjlandscaping.com/files/PWBegoniaMaribelCU.jpg
best regards,
Susan
Thanks so much for the ID, Susan! I've gotten pieces rooted and growing in other parts of the garden now, and it still impresses me. The bronze tones with purple-blue Geranium 'Rozanne' flowers nearby are a delight.
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