The leaves held on salmon stems are a soft dark olive green and enhanced by purplish-red undersides.  A rhizomatous type making a very eye-catching mound and this is before the pink flowers take it up another notch.  Underplanted with golden Creeping Jenny - dang!  Good houseplant or summer containers.  Tender.

A collection from Asia from an area rarely visited by westerners.  This rhizomatous species has leaves variably marked in pale patterns topside and varying shades of red beneath.  Upright stems to 10"-18" with pink flowers.  Hardiness unknown yet but the mantra of "grow until you can split it then try outside mulching like heck for winter" applies.

An undescribed species from a recent Hinkley collection in eastern Arunachal Pradesh.  A staggeringly good foliage plant fully clad in large deeply divided leaves and sporting yellow flowers - such a nice departure from pink!  These admittedly mingle within the foliage and teasingly tantalize in their allure.

A Hinkley collection of this rhizomatous Begonia from 9500' in the far eastern Himalaya. Attractive foliage with red hues and veins underleaf and we presume, pink flowers. Hardiness is unknown but we would mulch it well in zone 8 gardens. Ideally, overwinter frost-free until large enough to divide off a piece for trial outside in your garden. This would be a trial lamb.

A collection of this rhizomatous species from Hubei by Dan Hinkley which has proven hardy thus far in mild PNW gardens when mulched during the short arctic blasts that keeps Seattle from growing the same plants as San Francisco.  But for that one cold week we could be growing this Begonia under flowering Puya.  Good leaves lowers not seen or perhaps more truthfully, not remembered but will go out on a limb and say pink or white.

A rare wild-origin offering of this hardy-for-us species.  This develops stout vertical stems which hold palm-like leaves consisting of 8 narrow green leaflets.  The late-season pink flowers ignite the pleasure centers which had been happily simmering all summer from the foliar architecture.  Nice to introduce some new genetics

Large burnished red to maroon to olive-maroon leaves depending on leaf maturity and light intensity.  The small pinkish red flowers are nice but not required for universal admiration.  Our big plant has the gravitational pull of a black hole upon visitors who walk by a plethora of amazing rarities to pay homage to Fred.  Frost-free.

Another one of those shouldn't-be-hardy-but-is begonias.  This comes from Mt Emei in China and does fine here in our PNW zone 8 moist shaded gardens especially if you mulch it.  Excellent long-fingered foliage to 18" tall cloak the pink flowers which are a nice hidden surprise in late summer.

We received this labeled as Begonia sp. Guizhou 2011 but which we strongly suspect is a Mark Weathington Taiwan collection in 2010.  We have the latter from Mark and the two are identical.  A compact species to be sure, with small pale green, angel's wing leaves held aloft by short stems. Pink flowers.

Eye-catching species from China with palmate leaves spritzed with white on top and a bright maroon underneath.  The pink flowers are just another layer of adornment as we are always completely satisfied with the leaves alone.  Hardy to zone 8 with a little mulch in winter.  This is slow to go in the spring, waiting until June but it catches right up.

Impressive hardy begonia collected by Ozzie Johnson on Emei Shan in Sichuan.  This rhizomatous species looks tender as all get out but has overwintered in a number of Zone 7b gardens - admittedly not 7b for weeks at a time but still - heck yeah!  Brilliant red undersides and a burnished upper surface to the leaves are meant to go with the white flowers.

A very handsome hardy tuberous Begonia with orange flowers of which it is obviously very proud of as it is not shy about displaying them.  This makes a nice clump and can be left in the garden over winter.  Good in containers although I wouldn't let the pots freeze solid.  Increases well.

A Dan Hinkley collection from Mt Emei and touted as being hardy to Z7 but only by those in serious zonal denial.  That said, a customer told his that he mulches his deeply and it has survived our worst winters.  An attractive plant with late season pink flowers and well worth trying in a sheltered spot.

A tuberous species allied to Begonia taliense and differing mainly in the shallow lobes of the leaves.  This is native to SW Sichuan and the Zhongdian Plateau in Yunnan.  This has reasonable hardiness as it grows up to 2600 meters and is excellent in zone 8 gardens especially if you winter mulch.  A low and densely clumping species with bright pink flowers late in summer.

Large tan-green leaves with a later than 5 o'clock shadow of red hairs. Pink flowers play peekaboo in the foliage. A species not fully trialed for hardiness, but zone 8b with protection.

Rhizomatous species from southern China with excellent foliage colored light red on the underside and olive-buff green on top with a ring of silver-white spots just in from the margin. This makes a fine clump to 20" tall in a container, more than holding its own with just foliage but the late season white flowers are welcome frosting on this particular Begonia cake.  This has been hardy here in the zone 8 Puget Sound with winter mulch. One of our better collections for sure.

A Hinkley collection from Vietnam of this stunning foliage species whose bullate rumpled leaves are covered in imposing bristle-like hairs.  A gorgeous container plant or if you live where the frost is light and infrequent - and you know who you are and just so you know, we hate you - then this is fine out in the garden.  Flowers white if memory serves.

Narrow blade leaves are maculated in white and the upright stems bear small pink flowers in mid to late summer.  A very interesting new addition to the hardy Begonia palette as this has a different look than what one usually sees.  Mulch if winter is wicked.

A Shayne Chandler collection from China of this most attractive species which has proven hardy in his garden as well as the equally mild garden at Heronswood both which are zone 8b.  Lovely deeply lobed leaves liberally spotted in white and the late season pink flowers play well with the foliage.  Mulch in winter zones 8a-7b.

A collection by Hinkley from Myanmar at 9000' of this handsome species with nicely patterned leaves. Pink flowers.  Hardiness is unknown but would guess a warm zone 8 with a good winter blanket of mulch in colder zone 8 at least until more is known.

Shayne Chandler's collection from Vietnam of this assuredly tender but most enchanting Begonia. Long stems gloriously hirsute in red hairs hold broadly rounded palmate leaves whose upper surface is studded with carefully spaced green hairs and the underside veins bristle darkly. Pendulous white flowers are small but wow with calyces bearded thickly in Viking red. We easily overwinter this in a cool greenhouse.

Our collection from Asia from a mountain range little explored by westerners. One of the rhizomatous types allied to palmata which we expect will have hardiness down into zone 8 especially if mulched. Flowers are either pink or white - memory has failed but can say definitively they are not blue.

Asian seed collection from an area denuded of woody plants for firewood and hungry small goats. This Begonia found a tenuous asylum between boulders. Light pink flowers and leaves covered in light red hairs and is a rhizomatous type suited for milder gardens in the PNW if mulched in winter. A portion of the proceeds goes to the Far Reaches Botanical Conservancy.

Large green leaves stippled in evenly spaced pale hairs and small flowers pink in bud and on the reverse, opening to nearly white with the gentlest of pink touching the face.  A rhizomatous species that has been hardy in mild PNW gardens especially if mulched in winter with something airy yet insulating.  A Hinkley collection from China.

A gorgeous begonia growing near small cardamom plantings along the trail in the forest heading to higher elevations.  Fantastic foliage with dark and sultry clouding and with undersides a vivid red and held by similarly colored stems furred in pale hairs.  The white flowers contrast perfectly.

A collection by plantsman Nick Macer of Pan Global Plants of this choice species which has awaited introduction since Frank Kingdon Ward first discovered it over 70 years ago.  Striking deeply lobed palmate leaves held on long spotted stems with late season pink flowers.  Visually arresting clump, to be honest.

Yes indeed it is a hardy Begonia.  Hardy if you plant it in the ground - it won't be happy with you if you let it freeze it in its pot.  Good soil that retains moisture in shade to filtered light and everyone will be happy.  Dormant in winter and coming back from tubers in early summer.