Betulia is a sweet little plant, related to the begonia, as you can tell by the similar flowers and foliage. Are you wondering how do you look after betulia? Then you’ve come to the right place!
This pretty flowering shrub will put up with a variety of different conditions – though, like all plants, it has its preferred habitat. Let’s look at this in more detail.
What You'll Learn Today
How Do You Look After Betulia
This is a fairly easygoing plant that you should not have too many issues with. To keep it at its happiest, keep it in its favorite conditions:
- It likes to be planted in soil that is neutral to slightly acid, and which retains moisture well but also drains freely.
- Keep it out of too much direct sunlight – betulia likes to be partially shaded, so an east or north facing position is ideal for it.
- During the main growing season, give them a feed of tomato feed – this will encourage those beautiful blooms.
- Keep an eye on the leaves for caterpillars and weevils, pick them off if you see them and consider a natural pesticide if the problem continues.
- Make sure that it is in a position that is warm – this plant likes to be between 16-24 degrees C.
- Ensure it is well watered – it doesn’t like to sit in soggy soil, but the soil needs to be consistently moist.
- Dead head the spent flowers. This will allow the plant to put its efforts into new blooms.
- Take care in the winter. Betulia don’t like to get cold, so bring them indoors as soon as the temperature drops below 10 degrees C.
This concise article will give you some good ideas on betulia.
Does Betulia Flower Every Year
This plant is primarily grown for its lovely flowers, so you will want to know if they are going to keep on growing year after year.
Most of the begonia family are perennials, meaning that they should continue to grow for several years in a row.
However, in cooler countries this plant is treated as an annual, as they really don’t like getting cold and cannot survive temperatures below 10 degrees C.
If you can, you should overwinter your betulia roots to keep the plant going for another year.
Even if you cannot dig up and store your betulia over winter, you can continue to see the flowers of betulia for the majority of the growing season, from spring all the way through to winter.
Deadheading the flowers means that more flowers will bloom on the old wood, so pick off any spent blooms.
Indoor grown betulia should stay warm enough for the main plant to survive the winter, so you can have a repeat of the flowers for at least another year.
You should be able to have a repeat of the glorious blooms from one year to the next, as long as you maintain betulia’s preferred growing conditions.
Is A Betulia Plant A Perennial Or Annual?
Betulia is considered a perennial – that is, it has more than one growing season and won’t die off after the first year.
However, colder temperatures will kill off this plant, so in the UK it is generally treated as though it were an annual.
Because it comes back year after year, this plant is a great one to have dotted about in your garden alongside those that only grow for one season.
If you love betulia, this is great news – you only need buy one, and it will produce flowers for you for a long time to come!
If you want to learn more about perennial vs annual plants, have a look at this video:
How Big Does A Betulia Plant Grow?
If you only have a small garden, or you are planning to have a potted garden on a patio, a betulia is a great choice.
These plants don’t get overly tall or spread very far, so they won’t take over your garden or swamp other plants.
Its estimated height at full maturity is only around 50cm, so it will be quite happy in a pot or in a garden.
Betulia quite like a compact growing environment, so they will be very comfortable in a pot, or squeezed in with some other plants in your garden.
Because this plant doesn’t like too much sunlight, it will be happy being shaded by taller plants, and will make a lovely distraction for the eye and a height contrast.
How Do You Propagate A Betulia
Most betulia that you buy are grown from seed, but this is very difficult to replicate at home because any seeds that are produced will be sterile.
If you want to propagate your betulia, your best bet is to go for a cutting of the plant itself, ideally from a leaf.
- Take a strong, healthy leaf from the main section of the plant, and snip it off using clean, sharp secateurs.
- Dip the end of the leaf’s stem into rooting hormone to give it more of a chance to root.
- Plant the leaf in some moist, warm potting compost, place a plastic bag over the pot for warmth, and place it in a warm spot out of direct sunlight.
- After a few days the leaf should stabilize itself; this is a sign that roots are starting to grow.
- Keep the soil moist – a spray bottle is perfect for this as it won’t disturb the soil or damage the delicate roots.
- After a week or two the plant should be fully established, so you can now remove the plastic bag and repot it into a larger container.
Betulia Key Facts
| Name | Betulia |
| Scientific Name | Begonia x hiemalis |
| Family | Begoniaceae |
| Light Requirements | Prefers shade, out of the afternoon sun |
| Soil Requirements | Fertile, humus rich, moist but well draining |
| Temperature Requirements | Cool conditions preferred – 25 degrees C or less. Suits air conditioned spaces |
| Water Requirements | Likes to be kept moist but not waterlogged |
| Fertilizer Requirements | High Potassium feed once a week |
| Bloom Time | Spring until the first frost |
| Pests | Vine weevil larvae, thrips, aphids, caterpillars, mealybugs |
| Size | 40-50cm high, 25cm wide |
Final Thoughts
Once you have established how to look after a betulia, you will not look back – they are super easy to care for, and will reward you with those gorgeous flowers.
As you can see, it is not hard to take care of one of these plants, so they make a great addition to your nursery, or as a gift for a non-gardening friend, to brighten up their life.
