Despite its fleshy, tender appearance, the once highly prized begonia is not hard to grow.
I’m fascinated by garden fashions and what makes them tick. I suspect it’s human nature for obsessives to be out on the edge, racing ahead of the bunch. They seek the best of the best in ideas and arrangements while the rest of us amble 
along, inspired by their enthusiasm.
I believe real beauty in a garden, as in art and all great pleasures, flies above fashion and transcends time and place, only fading as one loving caretaker passes it over to the fate of another gardener’s care. But fashion is unavoidable,
whatever your view; plants shift in popularity from being revered treasures to occupying garden centre sale bins and eventually disappearing from the shelves altogether.
On one of my recent adventures into the eclectic back beds of a local nurseryman, I discovered a tiny tunnel house. These are not a common feature in Auckland’s temperate climate and this one reminded me of my first trip into the tunnel house of James Fraser in London. An expat Kiwi, Fraser has an amazing collection of pseudopanax and other New Zealand natives growing alongside the railway tracks near the Battersea squat he has occupied for over 20 years.
As if to enhance my memory of that visit, beside the exquisitely weathered old door was a dark-leafed Pseudopanax crassifolius, a favourite of Fraser’s, with hot-pink bougainvillea reaching up around it. A combination like this is a sure sign you are in the territory of a plantaholic. Nestled beneath this picture-perfect treat was a small collection of begonias, including a lovely Begonia fuchsioides, like a shrine to a bygone garden vogue. Asparagus ferns floated in pride of place, with wild impatiens filling the gaps between pots.
I felt I’d been not only swept back to London, but also transported back in time to the 30s when this species of begonia was so sought after and revered that houses were built just to feature these prized collections. In the 60s Wellington’s Begonia House was built, and in 1974 these plants inspired the Grateful Dead song Scarlet Begonias.
Of course, a species that has been so popular doesn’t disappear altogether. The bright blooms of the tuberous varieties always hit the shops in time for Mother’s Day, and councils around the country still include the small bedding plants in Victorian plots around parks and roundabouts. However seemingly twee, it’s a tradition I’d hate to see lost altogether.
In Wellington’s Begonia House, New Plymouth’s Pukekura Park and Auckland’s Winter Gardens, there are still splendid displays in the tradition of old. There are more than 1500 begonia species, but not all are available in New Zealand – although I suspect there are a few gems hidden in collections around the country.
Begonias were introduced to Europe in the 17th century by Michael Bégon, a French governor of the West Indies. They’re appreciated for their clusters of vibrant flowers, which can be so perfect as to appear artificial. They’re also grown for their striking ornamental and often asymmetric foliage. They come in so many different forms they are hard to define: climbers, shrubs, succulents, trailers, bedding plants and more. Although the houseplants are usually tuberous, some species have rhizomes and others fibrous roots.
There’s an assortment of evergreen varieties suited to various parts of the country, although they prefer the more temperate regions. An interesting feature of these species is that many of the most popular hybrids were bred by women. With so much of the recorded history of horticulture and landscape design dominated by males, this fact is an unexpected delight.
Patrick Blanc of green-wall fame is a fan of begonias, and this might trigger their return to popularity. The tuberous varieties can be kept in containers outside in warmer parts of the country, but most people cast them aside as soon as the plants die down in winter. They can easily be propagated from stem or leaf cuttings.
Beginners should start at well-established nurseries, such as Begonia World in Christchurch, which has a garden centre open to the public, or Beautiful Begonias of Golden Bay – another excuse to visit a lovely part of the country. If you’re eager to buy now, both offer online shopping.
For more specialised information, Auckland’s Begonia Circle is the heart of local knowledge and welcomes new members. Members come from across the country, so will be able to put you in touch with growers or collectors in your area.
The group meets every second Saturday of every second month (February, April, June, August, October and December) at 1.30pm at the Auckland Botanic Gardens. Tubers and seed are sold and traded at the meetings, so it’s a great way to start a collection. The group also organises seasonal “rambles”, which involve whirlwind tours to meet breeders and collectors and, of course, opportunities to further your interest.
Despite a fleshy, tender appearance, begonias are not hard to grow. Given the right soil mix, little food should be required throughout the growing season, and watering just needs to be consistent. Overwatering can lead to fungal diseases, so if you notice mildew or mites, perhaps you’re just being too kind to this hardy plant.
Looking through old books and at online photos of long-lost begonia houses, I pine for a crystal palace in the proportions of the grand greenhouses of Kew in the UK. Instead, I settle for a morning’s wander through Auckland’s Winter Gardens, which is a happy compromise. It’s heartening to ponder this bygone age of horticulture that also represented a time when women first stepped into a realm normally held by men. Perhaps that is why we need history to repeat to give us some appreciation of the vast knowledge and achievements that came before our own humble toilings.