applestar wrote:Wow. I'm pretty sure these are wax begonia. It's a pretty common bedding/landscaping plant sold by flats/trays in spring here. All green as well as the bronze foliage you have, and flowers are available in red, white, and pink. They are treated as annuals because they cannot take frost or freeze.
They do occasionally manage to grow from seeds on their own next year, but not so consistently in my garden. The seeds are tiny and when I tried to grow them myself in pots indoors so I would have some plants ready for warm weather in spring, I failed miserably. ...but I have had them sprout from re-used potting mix with other indoor container plants.
I guess your location is very comfortable for this plant for them to be spreading around so much.
Thanks, wow. The way they started was in the pot which never had its soil changed.so it must have been brought in only by birds. Being from North Europe and even lived in the South USA I have never seen flowers that remain blooming year round non-stop. I have built a stone pit attached to the stone house for a septictank and for my little nursery collection to protect from bad winds we get a few days a month year round. Our yearly day and night temps are 50s to 60s and occasional 70s in the summer July and August into 80F. Extremes are 45F to 85F which are rather rare. Today is 64F and this is June, yesterday after rain was 62F, but in summer 77F is quite a common for a daily max and 70-74F during a day and night. I suspect these plants like wind protection. I now planted them outside of their comfort zone to see whether they will survive the higher winds. We are located 3600 km east of US coast and 1700 km west of Portugal. Absolutely secluded and extremely remote location with stunning nature and views, yet too cold for beach vacationers. The location is 38 degrees north of the equator, but the climate due to Guld Stream is rather coolish pro-tropical with ocean water temps 64F and up year round, tropical with freeze unknown and temps below 50F rare and below 45F unknown. The only place along with MADEIRA island that has this climate in the world with NZ and Lord Howe island as similar climate. Maybe SFO too. No predators, no snakes, no mosquitoes, no tornadoes, no crime. We can sleep on grass year round without being hurt except by rain. The towns near water get to 86F or even 90F max occasionally in August. Most common temps year round are in the 60s. Winter normal are 55F to 65F and there are days of 64F that feel almost hot in the sun due to the humidity. I believe it has become locally invasive. Thanks for identifying this plant.