Garden update
Plant progress pictures and tips from my blooming balcony garden: begonia coccinea, hoya wayetii tricolor variegated, and dischidia platyphylla
Begonia coccinea – angel wing begonia
This cane begonia has exploded in growth this year on the balcony. It can happily handle bright shade and a few hours of direct sunlight in the morning. This begonia has been in the same small pot since for over a year. At some point it will need some trellising and trimming to keep its shape looking bushy. Here’s a great website about this particular begonia and its origins: https://toptropicals.com/catalog/uid/begonia_coccinea.htm
Hoya wayetii tricolor variegated
This colorful hoya has been a bit of a slow grower, though I have taken quite a few cuttings over the year. I’ve learned that it doesn’t like to stay wet. The most important watering tip that can be shared is this: allow wayetii to fully dry out, and it’s advisable to wait a day or two longer after you believe it’s dry. The second you overwater this hoya, it will start to develop yellow, mushy leaves that slowly fall off near the top.
More light means more color for this hoya. It will show off pretty pinks and maroon coloring if in bright light. My porch does not get direct sun half the year, but it gets light that bounces off buildings and the parking lot. It really shows off its colorful growth when the balcony garden gets a few hours of direct sunlight.
Avoid misting. This plant likes a dry, arid environment.
Dischidia platyphylla
This ball is an experiment that was started back in 2023, where I began with a ball of moss wrapped with twine. I then tucked bits of the Dischidia in between pieces of moss. This plant’s leaves shingle onto a surface and flatten out, with small roots beneath every set of leaves. It can flower – which was very neat to discover, and can smell very lightly floral.
When watering, this ball gets dunked in a big bowl of water and sits there for 5 to 10 minutes. It is easy to care for because it only wants water once a month and even less during winter. Light requirements are shade or dappled shade. It grows in similar or less light than an orchid and enjoys some humidity so long as it’s roots are not stuck soaking in water.
This plant is susceptible to powdery mildew and I’ve been very careful with watering since losing the mother plant to mildew – the leaves turned white and flaky, then fell apart.
Powdery mildew
If your plant is still alive and able to recover, try a few things:
Quarantine your plant if possible. Here are some additional tips on dealing with powdery mildew: https://www.swallowtailgardenseeds.com/tips_lists/powdery-mildew.html
