How to Care for Begonia Maculata ‘Wightii’
Begonia Maculata ‘Wightii,’ more commonly known as polka dot begonia, is an exotic flowering perennial plant that boasts showy white blossoms from late winter until the end of spring. The plant takes its common name from its glossy leaves, which are covered in small silver dots. For all of its showiness, Begonia Maculata ‘Wightii’ requires little special care to grow successfully in a garden or home landscape.
- Moderately Easy
things you’ll need:
- Garden hose or watering can
- Balanced fertilizer
- Pruning shears
- Water your Begonia Maculata ‘Wightii’ every two to three days in the absence of rain. Provide enough supplemental irrigation to moisten the soil to a depth of approximately 5 inches. Water begonias in the early morning, as night time watering increases the risk of fungal disease.
- Maintain a 3-inch layer of mulch on the surface of the soil around your Begonia Maculata to conserve moisture and keep the soil cool. Use a natural mulching material such as peat moss, pine straw or bark pieces.
- Fertilize the Begonia Maculata every two weeks to provide it with the nutrients it needs for vigorous growth and flower development. For best results, use a half-strength solution of a balanced, water soluble fertilizer product, used according to package directions.
- Deadhead your Begonia Maculata ‘Wightii’ plant to keep it looking beautiful all season long. Pluck spent begonia blossoms from the plant, as needed, to maintain its appearance; deadheading also encourages your begonias to continue blooming.
- Prune diseased, damaged or dead foliage from your Begonia Maculata ‘Wightii’ plant, as needed, to maintain its health. Make your pruning cuts just above the leaves to minimize pruning stress. Use sharpened and sterilized pruning shears when pruning your begonias to reduce the risk of spreading harmful plant diseases.
Tips & Warnings
Begonia Maculata ‘Wightii’ can also be successfully grown in planting containers. Note that container grown begonias will need to be watered more frequently than those grown in the ground.
Allowing the soil around your Begonia Maculata plant to become waterlogged may result in root rot.