BabyWing White (in Green and Bronze)

BabyWing Begonias offer the pendulous Dragon Wing look in a smaller package

A major appeal of Dragon Wing Begonias is their pendulous nature. Whereas Wax Begonias normally grow upward, Dragon Wings grow up and arch over gracefully. Leaves and petals follow suit, elongating into wing-like structures—hence the name. Combined with their rugged nature, this elegant look finds its way into many urns, planters, and gardens; however, their strength is also their weakness.

Small is relative—use BabyWings where you would use Cocktails

You need a large vessel to hold a Dragon Wing, which is great when filling oversized barrels along a shopping center walkway. For typical window boxes, garden fronts, and smaller combos it would be nice if we had a smaller version of the plant that provided the same pretty, pendulous look. This is the role of the BabyWing.

In the standard lineup of Wax Begonias, BabyWings have the same relationship to Dragon Wings that Cocktails have to Whoppers. Although they’re called BabyWings they are not as tiny as the Bada Bing series—that's too small. Another advantage of this smaller size is that their habit is more neat and manicured looking; they grow about 12–15 inches tall, a little higher than they are wide.

Their small size makes BabyWings look neat and manicured

BabyWings can handle the same cultural conditions as any Begonia: they bloom for the entire season, grow neatly in their place, are bushy from the top down to the ground, and tolerate shade as well as sun with even growth. They also thrive in a range of soils so there are numerous design jobs they can perform. We grow ‘BabyWing White’—the best of the miniatures—in a green leaf and a bronze leaf version.

Virtual flower factories produce nonstop blooms over the summer

Where blooms are concerned, BabyWing is similar to the Cocktail series as well, with dainty orchid-like flowers that are small and tight to the plant. They nod gently, with yellow throats and fuzzy yellow eyes. Even though the plant is a bit smaller than the Dragon Wing it’s a virtual flower factory, producing a nonstop display of blooms over the summer. We can safely say it exhibits the great vigor and garden performance of the rest of the Wings.

Dainty orchid-like flowers are small and tight to the plant

Glossy leaves are long, pointed, and cupped on the BabyWings, the way they are on the Dragon Wings, only not as large. This is a departure from the standard Wax Begonia style of rounded or oval at best. When strong light introduces deep shadows into the picture we end up with a twisted, curly vibe that is also quite different from the typical Wax Begonia.

Dragon Wing-style leaves are long, pointy, and cupped

This year we’ve added the Bronze Leaf version to complement the Green Leaf. Bronze leaves are larger and more elongated than Green—they can look red-green in partial shade but darken in full sun. To get that chocolate color that becomes a design element of its own, avoid full sun or heavy shade. Plants do best in the middle.

Chocolate-colored foliage becomes a design element of its own

Strong, arching stems that drape elegantly make BabyWings better candidates for containers, troughs, and boxes than Cocktails. We especially like the summer performance of this series, too, due to the fleshy leaves and stems—a fibrous nature is a plus for small plants like BabyWings. They have a generally mounded habit but it’s the way they mound that’s key, keeping their pendulous nature and, along with the wing-like petals and folded, pointed leaves, making a lovely overall impression.

A lovely overall impression

‘BabyWing White with Green Leaf’ comes in the 1801L flat and the 4.5, 6, and 8-inch pot sizes. ‘BabyWing White with Bronze Leaf’ is available in the 1801L flat.