So far as I know, All begonias make good houseplants, tho' some need terrariums for humidity. If you want tough ones, I wouldn't recommend 'iron cross' (B. masoniana)as a tough one though, but that may be because I've had a lot of trouble with it! There are actually thousands of canes and rhizomatous that make good houseplants, and there are 'shrub-like' ones, and of course the semperflorens so many people use for bedding now, but were my first houseplant begonias. And then there are the trailing/scandent group if you have a good space for hanging baskets, and----You might enjoy looking at pictures on the American Begonia Society web-page, or at the pictures on commercial growers. Kartuz probably has the best pictures. Open new vistas for you!

I agree with green elbows. Iron Cross is a difficult one for me as well. Canes are about the easiest to grow and come in all sizes from dwarf (a few inches) to very tall (6 foot +). Rhizomatous vary in difficulty - some are very picky on over watering while others want a lot but as a class they are very diverse - again from very tiny to huge. Colors, size, and textures run the gamut. Pick your size, color, texture, and shape from hundreds. Rexes often get a bad rap but for color they cannot be beat. They often go semi-dormant in winter so cut back on watering when they drop their leaves. They are also mildew prone like a lot of canes but with good practice, this can be minimized.

One caveat though, you can get addicted to these plants. Turn back now before it is too late.

lol Butch, someone should have told me that years ago. You too I suspect!

Someone should have told you about a caveat or about Iron Cross? It's an enjoyable hobby but can consume lots of time (and money). I give up on Iron Cross until I see someone local have great success with it.

Well, both I guess! I wouldn't have thought Iron Cross would do well here, but when I got here I met a wonderful grower who had a lot of beautiful begonias, including an Iron Cross probably bigger and better even than the ones I saw at begonia conventions. (She was primarily an African Violet person, and had organized the AV club here, but she was generally a very good grower, and taught me a lot about what to do here.) But I was addicted long before that----!!

thanks for your help everybody, could I possibly get some names for cane type begonias other than the angel wing and rex

'Sophie Cecile', 'Irene Nuss', 'Lucerna', 'My Special Angel', 'Lois Burks', 'Medora', 'Torch', 'Looking Glass', 'Cracklin Rosie', Silver Mist', 'Little Miss Mummey', 'Maurice Amey', 'Sierra Mountain King', 'Orange Rubra', 'Tom Ment' to name a few. The first 3 are some of the best.

when i lived in oregon, the mallet canes like 'Maurice Amey' were prone to mildew, so they may not be good ones to start out with.

if you want to branch out from canes, begonia bowerae (and its hybrids, such as 'Tiger Kitten') and the "beefsteak" begonia, B. 'Erythrophylla' are great, easy begonias to start with. the climbing begonia, B. convolvulacea, the lettuce-leaved B. bunchii and B. thurstonii with it's shiny, red-backed leaves are also fun.

-ming