Iron Cross begonia<\/strong> is a fancy leaf begonia that is grown as a decorative houseplant. Originally from China and Vietnam, this begonia gets its name from the dark chocolate centre marking on the leaves that resembles the Iron Cross used on shields during the Crusades.<\/p>\n To bring out its bright green and brown colours, position this begonia where it receives bright filtered light. Keep the soil moist but not wet, and don\u2019t get water on the leaves. When it goes into dormant mode, reduce watering so that the surface of the soil is almost dry before watering again. To provide a humid environment, especially in Winter, place the pot on a gravel-filled saucer that contains water. Details: www.lvgplant.co.za<\/p>\n Herbs to sow in Winter<\/strong><\/p>\n If you are longing for fresh greens, but it is too cold to sow anything outdoors, sow tasty herbs like chervil, mustard and chives in a window box on a sunny windowsill. If you make a mix of them, they can be harvested as cut and come again baby leaves for garnishes, salads and sandwiches. Fill the window box with a damp seedling mix, sprinkle the seed and cover with a fine layer of seedling mix, gently pressed down so that it makes contact with the seeds. Water lightly and keep the soil damp while the seeds germinate. Mimic a warm greenhouse by covering the window box with plastic clingwrap while the seeds are germinating. It keeps in the heat and moisture. Remove once the herbs have sprouted. Feed with a liquid fertiliser like Margaret Roberts Organic Supercharger at half strength once a week.<\/p>\n Good to know:<\/em> If the window boxes or trays are on the inside of the window, place them a few centimetres away from the glass. Because glass is a heat conductor, the trays might get very cold overnight and burn during the day as the sun shining through the glass gets magnified. Details: www.kirchhoffs.co.za<\/p>\n We\u2019re planting …<\/strong> Primula Acaulis Bonnelli\u00a0 for the dazzling flowers that add pops of colour indoors and outdoors. These cold-hardy little primroses thrive as houseplants if placed in a position that gets bright light (but not direct sun) or as patio plants in hanging baskets or containers. Keep the potting mix moist but not soggy and feed once a month with a liquid fertiliser. Add a splash of colour to small gardens by planting Bonnelli as a border, in Winter sun or semi shade. Plant in fertile soil that drains well and keep the soil moist but don\u2019t over water. Details: www.gropak.co.za<\/p>\n Garden tasks for June<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Time to protect young plants, prepare for Winter pruning and position your pots in bright light. Indoor plant of the month Iron Cross begonia is a fancy leaf begonia that is grown as a decorative houseplant. Originally from China and Vietnam, this begonia gets its name from the dark chocolate centre marking on the leaves […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":38978,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[159,23],"tags":[784,10843,4017,10842],"class_list":{"0":"post-38970","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-gardening","8":"category-homes-and-decor-and-garden","9":"tag-gardening","10":"tag-gropak-co-za","11":"tag-kirchhoffs-co-za","12":"tag-margaret-roberts"},"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/getitmagazine.co.za\/highway-berea\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/23\/2024\/05\/begonia-iron-cross-002-313x400.jpg\")
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