Begonia 'Metallic Mist'
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Begonia 'Metallic Mist' (PP# 19,567)• Click here to visit our Main Plant List page for current availability of this plant
• common name: begonia
• flowering season: mid to late summer
• height: 12 to 18 inches, spreading wider
• Light requirements: filtered light
• Soil requirements: a soil that is rich in humus and that is well drained
• Water requirments: average
• Growth habit: grows as a clump of shoots
• Leaf type: fingered leaves of green overlaid in silver
• Ways to use it: grows well in the garden or will live happily as a houseplant
• Special characteristics: the leaves of 'Metallic Mist' are as colorful as many Rex begonias
• Other points of interests: possibly root-hardy to USDA Zone 6
The parents of this hybrid are Begonia taliensis and Begonia pedatifida, birthing an offspring that is surprisingly cold hardy. 'Metallic Mist' survives outdoors to USDA Zone 7B (+5°F to +10°F), and is possibly root hardy in favored locations to Zone 6. It is a rhizomatus begonia that resembles a rex begonia, with its large, palm-like leaves of green and silver. As it likes cool shade, the perfect spot to set it outdoors is in a woodland or on the shady, east or northeast side of a house. We recommend adding a generous amount of aged compost when planting it. The mature height will be 12 to 18 inches, with a wider spread. When grown outdoors in the Pacific Northwest, its leaves will often not sprout until June. Light pink flowers come in clusters atop stems of twelve inches.