New Strategy for the Begonias

After doing some reading about begonias online and noting their growing requirements, I came to the conclusion that my begonia was doing terribly because the conditions here are not very humid.  Also, the pot I had it in was probably not the best at draining quickly.  It is my understanding that begonias need to be kept in humid environments, but they still need relatively quickly draining soil.

What I have been doing this winter, since the air is so cold and dry, is setting jars of water amongst my plant tiers.  Since I find trays of water and stone to be most annoying and cumbersome, I am trying this alternative approach for now.

Anyway, so I finally decided to repot the begonia, and actually ended up dividing it as well.

For reference, September 2014:

You can see the state of the begonia today in the background, in that hideous pot that I am half tempted to just throw out.  Realistically, I will either give it to someone or drop it in the reusables at Bucks Country Gardens.

I got this cute little Chinese/Japanese-themed ceramic piece at Restore in Chalfont last weekend.  I wasn't sure what to do with it... until now!  I like the way the begonia looks all bonsai in it.

The rest of the big ol' begonia gets nestled into a lower shelf surrounded by four jars of tap water.