What it is
Wax Begonia (Begonia semperflorens) is in the Begoniaceae family. A shade-tolerant bloomer with waxy leaves and nonstop flowers - and the petals are edible with a citrus tang.
How to grow it
It wants part shade, water it moderate, and give it rich, well-drained soil. Target a soil pH around 6.0-7.0. Space plants about 8-10 in apart. Expect roughly Cuttings root. Tender; grown as annual.
How it's used
Wax Begonia is used: ornamental; petals edible.
🔎 How to identify it
- Glossy waxy rounded leaves
- Compact mound
- Pink/red/white flowers
Edibility
How to grow & propagate wax begonia
Everything I've worked out about starting this one, keeping it alive through a Texas year, and turning one plant into many — free.
How to propagate wax begonia
Wax Begonia is grown from seed. Start it in the season it favors, keep the seedbed evenly moist until it's up, and thin to give each plant room to size up.
Growing wax begonia in Texas
Give it part shade and rich, well-drained soil. Match the spot to the plant and most of the battle is already won.
Time your planting to our long warm season and watch the frost dates at both ends; the live weather tool on this site is built for exactly that.
In a container it'll dry faster than in the ground, so check the top inch of soil daily in summer; pots on a hot Texas patio can need water every single day.
Harvesting
Figure on roughly cuttings root before you're harvesting. Pick herbs in the morning after the dew dries for the strongest oils, and harvest little and often — regular cutting keeps a herb bushy and stops it bolting. The part you're after: flowers (small amounts).
Making more for free
If you want more, let your healthiest plants mature fully and collect the seed once it's dry on the plant — then store it somewhere cool, dark, and dry until next season.
Part of the free Texas Roots plant database, compiled by Jordan Polasek from his greenhouse in El Campo, Texas. Free to read and share. If it helped, the best thanks is to grow something.