I never thought I would ever do that!

I like plants. My balcony is four metres long and is full of at least 20 species of plants. I admire the infinite variety of plants, which is why I even fill in the bare patch of ground around the tree in front of this building's front door. 

Over the years, I've planted all sorts of flowers in the street. In the last two years, I've gone for kalanchoe as it can cope well with the heat. 

However, despite my great love of plants, there has always been one kind that I have loathed: begonias. 

In the summer, the Germans are very fond of these kinds of begonias and plant them out everywhere, not just in gardens but in parks, too:

Personally, I cannot stand them. Firstly, the colour annoys me as does their appearance. There's also a red variety:

Don't they look untidy?

However, last Saturday, in a desperate attempt to bring more colour and variety to the small patch of soil in the street, I actually dared to buy some white begonias as I thought I could at least tolerate them:

Never before did I think that I would ever, ever, ever buy a begonia - never mind three!. Wonders can still happen in this world.