Like many, we find the varied forms of Begonias so fascinating. Just take one look at Instagram accounts such as Tom Cranham’s and we defy anyone to be hooked on this beautifully coloured and strangely textured plant. We caught up with rare Begonia collector Tom Cranham to find out more about his passion and get some expert care tips for Begonias and rare terrarium plants.

Tom lives with his wife and dog on the edge of the beautiful Peak District in Derbyshire and works in a nursing home, so in a bid to leave his stressful work life at work he has thrown himself head first into a love of plants and gardening. Tom is a self-confessed propagation addict and in order to maintain manageable levels of plants at home he sells his propagated plants via a mailing list.
Tom’s next Rare Tropical Plant Sale is Tuesday 8th June so sign up here to get buying from his stunning collection, including selaginella, labisia, peperomia & begonia such as the chlorosticta (pictured above).

Here we quiz Tom on his passion for planting and get some top tips for Begonia care…

Please can you talk us through your planting setup?

I don't have the biggest of two bedroom houses, but I try to use every space my lovely wife allows me to (I do make a mess at times). So I've seven terrarium and one aquascape in the house, and then there's a good selection of house plants in every room apart from the bathroom which has no natural light.

My favourite plants are Begonia and they take pride of place in most of the terrarium. The biggest of which is 1m tall in the living room. In there I also have three bell jar terrariums, a terra base (a porous pot cylinder that I grow lots of mini aquatic plants on like bucephalandra), my Borneo themed aquascape, staghorn ferns on the wall and lots of other houseplants in pots.

Another favourite planty space is the bedroom with my terrarium bedside lamp with iridescent blue selaginella and Begonia dracopelta, also another terrarium with a monster Begonia melanobullata with spikey leaves like you wouldn't believe.

And finally, I've got the engine room of the whole houseplant obsession. My spare bedroom which has been converted into one whole propagation station with over twenty prop boxes filled with seedlings and cuttings. It's supposed to be an office for my wife during this time of Covid so I'm lucky she puts up with it being lit up like a Christmas tree.

Where does your love of plants come from? And how has it evolved over time?

My grandad was an avid Gardener. He loved spending time in his walled kitchen garden, his orchard or large borders, and I always enjoyed watching him. But it wasn't until I bought my own home that I could garden myself. I turned back and front gardens from lawn into a cottage garden full with fruit, flowers & wildlife too. I've suffered with depression and anxiety for a number of years, being on medication for the best part of a decade. I always find the most difficult time of year to be winter. A bleak time of year where I could hardly garden outside, so I threw myself into houseplants and especially terrarium.

Since then my collection of houseplants has grown exponentially, and just to make more work for myself I've recently taken over an allotment that had been abandoned for 2 years and full of perennial weeds. Hoping to have lots of homegrown veg soon!

What is your proudest planting achievement?

It's got to be getting the garden outside into such a good state for wildlife that we had a baby hedgehog last year. I feel very blessed to be able to look after them!

Hedgehog family at home in Tom’s wildlife garden

Is there a specific plant you are particularly lusting after at the moment?

Definitely Begonia baramensis. Beautiful dark, almost black leaves that are edged in silver

You grow some really beautiful and unusual begonias, what is it about Begonias that you particularly love?

I used to think of them as horribly blowsy bedding plants. How wrong I was! They are incredibly varied, be it with leaf shape, growth type or colour. I quote a friend "At some point during evolution one of them just went... yup, warty and PINK!”. And then you get the iridescent Begonias that from the darkness shine a bright blue like they're straight from Avatar.

What are your secrets to success with growing the more unusual varieties of Begonias?

Overwatering is the biggest killer. So if you want to use sphagnum moss make sure that it doesn't get wet, damp is best. I love to use a mix of Akadama (a baked clay pellet) and pumice or perlite. It holds water but is free draining so very forgiving. Light isn't too big an obstacle as they mostly come from forest floor or other low light environments, but you do need to keep the humidity high and if you can have some air movement (even a pen under the corner of a plastic box to allow air in) is a good idea.

Blooming Bucephalandra on black lava rock

Can you talk us through how you propagate your Begonias? Is it tricky to do or could anyone give it a go?

Oh definitely anyone can do it and I'd encourage everyone to try! Generally I root Begonia leaf or stem cuttings in a damp mix of sphagnum and perlite. But for the more sensitive species (in other words divas) I root them in an akadama and perlite/pumice mix. (see Grow Tropicals for substrate supplies)

Begonia have separate male and female flowers. In perfect conditions I create seed by cutting a male flower, leaving it for a day to dry and then carefully with a tuning fork (read a buzzy bee) activate the pollen release which can be brushed onto the female flower. You can usually tell in a day or so if pollination has been successful with the tepals falling from the flower, then the seed pod swelling and dropping a little. Otherwise if no female flowers are available you can cut & store the male flowers, or even have a go at creating a new hybrid!

What are your favourite shops to buy plants from? And also, Begonias specially?

I love Grow Tropicals in the UK. It's bringing all facets of the terrarium and rare plant hobby into one shop. They're really looking into being more sustainable by growing more plants in the UK which has got to be a good thing.

For Begonia I'm really hoping that once the Brexit mess has settled down we'll be able to order from shops in Europe like begoniaproject.com

Your terrariums are really stunning, what is it you particularly enjoy about terrarium planting?

It's creating a window into a jungle, but in your own home. It doesn't matter what the weather is outside, it could be deepest, darkest winter outside but I'll still be gardening inside, nurturing a tropical ecosystem. It's a really mindful activity. There's no rush. You can take a minute & breathe. Watch a plant that you cared for grow into something big & beautiful. It's better than tv, truly.

Do you have a go-to setup for your terrariums?

My ideal set up means a natural looking set up but low maintenance. For my last project I used tree fern root panels for the background & the plants seem to have loved it. I use lots of porous rock & wood from aquascape stores like riverwoodaquatics.co.uk for the hardscape, which I usually play with for about a week, creating lots of planting pockets until I'm finally happy. One thing I always do is but the best light I can afford. A cheap LED will do for the propagation boxes but for my displays the better lights really make a difference.

What / who are you inspired by with your terrarium planting?

James Wong has been a massive inspiration. He's so imaginative, thinking outside the box to bring pieces of tropical forest into the home, and he's always happy to share how he made his creations. Not many people do that.

What planting project are you looking forward to trying next?

I'm really excited to try out an 'In Situ' vivarium. These come kitted out with a misting system, lighting and fans. So I'm planning on displaying some more tropical Begonia. Maybe even with a pink theme!

Finally, in honour of Jane Perrone...do you have a plant pet peeve?

Ha, it has to be terrarium with succulents or cacti. A death sentence for the poor desert loving plants.

Q and A with rare Begonia propagator and terrarium maker, Tom Cranham