The plant arrived in bloom!, Of course, being October in z6 it's inside and the house is a bit dry so the buds blasted, but in spite of transplanting into a grit mix about a week in it's doing really well, the leaves are not showing symptoms of distress but it's still early to tell. It came with two beautiful and quite large stalks and i discovered as i was repotting there were 2 other tiny sprouts coming below the soil. Did not see any signs of fungal/bacterial infections anywhere on the plant, nor any pests, not even hardwater stains on the leaves, overall i'm very impressed. Reguardless if i can keep it alive, there is no denying the level of attention they give these plants and i feel much more confident trying my first begonia with such a healthy specimen.
This is a wonderful begonia. It seems flexible about temperature; mine is still outdoors in mid-October. (I know, I know.) Beautiful mahogany foliage, easy to keep at 18" with occasional pinching -- new canes do grow fast. And it had been in constant, huge bloom since May, with no sign of slowing down. If it had scent, it'd be an easy five stars. Thanks Logee!