This angel wing begonia is not growing up, as some do, but it leans from the weight of its row of wings. It turns toward the west from its position in a hanging pot on my porch. The foliage catches the light underneath the wings showing off a reddish color. This plant was given to me by a friend and colleague, Patricia Laster, a member of my critique group, Central Arkansas Writers. The begonia was started from a plant that belonged to her mother.
Our mothers are no longer with us, but to honor their memory, both Pat and I still have some of the flowers our mothers once tended. So when Pat shared this plant with me, I was happy to look after it and soon it began to grow.
My own mother loved all kinds of flowers and could keep them growing with little effort, it seemed. She definitely had a green thumb. Begonias and geraniums were some of her favorites. My mother passed away 35 years ago, and I still have two of her plants. A Mother-in-law’s tongue and a Thanksgiving cactus.
Angel wing begonias are a great conversational piece, a lovely houseplant, and can even prompt a writer to post it on her blog. 🙂
Do you have an angel wing begonia at your house?
[…] Writers, Mothers, and Begonias (freedanichols.wordpress.com) […]
LikeLike
Thanks
LikeLike
[…] Writers, Mothers, and Begonias (freedanichols.wordpress.com) […]
LikeLike
Thank you!
LikeLike
[…] Writers, Mothers, and Begonias (freedanichols.wordpress.com) […]
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] Writers, Mothers, and Begonias (freedanichols.wordpress.com) […]
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good morning to Queensland Begonia Society . . .
LikeLike
[…] Writers, Mothers, and Begonias (freedanichols.wordpress.com) […]
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] Writers, Mothers, and Begonias (freedanichols.wordpress.com) […]
LikeLiked by 1 person
[…] Writers, Mothers, and Begonias (freedanichols.wordpress.com) […]
LikeLiked by 1 person
What a nice memento to keep a loved one’s plant so long! My sister has a plant from our father’s funeral 4 years ago. I’ll have to tell her about your 35 years!
LikeLike
I didn’t think about it being so long ago until recently the Mother-in-law’s Tongue bloomed! I researched and found they bloom after decades. I decided that’s another little story. So I began to count back the years when I acquired the cactus. It has bloomed regularly although the plant itself has not grown very much. It is nice to have them though.
LikeLike
I have a Black Pearl Lily of my dad’s. He was our gardener and loved flowers. His roses were beautiful. If something was in bloom, flowers were on our dining table.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A Black Pearl Lily sounds pretty! Your dad must have been a very special man to tend to and bring in flowers for the dining table. Romantic, too!
LikeLike
Flowers always remind me of my Mom, because like you say, she had a green thumb, litterally!!, she was always planting something. Sweet memories.
LikeLike
Thank you. Wish I might have paid more attention to how my mother tended to flowers, how to take good care of them.
LikeLike
no angel wing begonia here…but, now knowing it’s name…makes me want to have one…I too have MOM flowers…a red rose … daffodils…mint… and they will always be special…
LikeLike
You will like the begonia! I too have daffodils from Mom’s and need to write another post to mention more of her flowers. Thanks for commenting.
LikeLike
You are amazing with plants to keep them alive that long. I get excited at the six month mark lol.
LikeLike
lol. Actually, I forgot to mention a couple of other plants that came from my mother. One is an outdoor peony and the other is a form of a violet. Perhaps another little short story sometime about them.
LikeLike
I have to stake mine, Freeda. You might want to do the same. The plant looks wonderful. Glad it flourished under your care. Has it bloomed?
LikeLike
No blooms yet. Just the magnificent red under the leaves. Gene re-potted it for me and I thought maybe I should trim off part of it. Never thought of staking it. Had no idea it would grow so much. Doing well outside, but won’t be long until it’s back in the house when cold weather comes.
LikeLike