Hi all, I just wanted to share with any other new(ish) begonia parents a little story about recovering from whoopsie moments. The first photo is me opening up my new plant parcel that, amongst other things, had the most expensive Begonia rex I’ve bought to date ($30!! lol). Isn’t it pretty?! So, about 3 hours after I opened the box I somehow managed to knock it off a shelf I’d placed it on while I finished setting up the shelves and grow lights for its new home. I took a peek around the shelf and I had somehow managed to knock every leaf off my poor baby and cracked the plastic pot. Now, I should’ve maybe prefaced this with the fact I’m super clumsy, but I feel like that may be alarmingly obvious by now. I swore and laughed, mostly so I didn’t cry, and began googling. I then set up my first ‘prop boxes’ in takeout containers and cut up three leaves, leaving the veins as instructed. I took the biggest and healthiest leaf and put it in a lidless jar with distilled water. Then put them all under the grow lights. I waited until the next day to sort the pot as it was ok until then and I didn’t want to water it in its new pot just before I put it to bed (aka turned out the lights). I slipped it into a new (well, new for her) pot the next morning though, with as little touching as possible, watered and put under said grow lights. And then I waited. The leaf parts went moldy pretty quickly. I salvaged two pieces from three boxes *rolls eyes*. The big leaf in water has started to grow roots, but it’s like it got confused after it started. I’m giving it some time and space to deal with its trauma. I figure it will tell me when it’s ready to discuss moving forward. The biggest result was from the stem that was left in the pot. I’m sure old hands a begonia parenting won’t be surprised but I was. If you check out the second picture, you can see the very start of the first leaf of her new life. There are also sprouty things in a few spots. We’re playing wait-and-see as to what they are, because they look different and were originally grown outdoors. So, to all the begonia buddies out there, take heart, if you’re a klutz too, our beautiful little plants are somehow fragile and delicate while also being made of steel (though I haven’t ruled out the possibility of magic or maybe faeries).