Rocky Mtn Chapter begonia society show/sale
HC McDole, I blame you! Ha. I've admired your collection and ability to propagate for some time now. I found out a few days ago that there is a new local chapter just recently started of the American Begonia Society. They had their first show and sale today.
I got this little cutey.
took a few other pictures. Giant carnivorous plant:
More begonias.
I love how this one felt to the touch, like a cat's tongue!
Comments (6)
hc mcdole
2 years agopopmama,
Congratulations! Now the madness begins. That last begonia is B. pustulata which is not a very pleasant name. Look up the meaning of that word and you get pimple, blister, bubble (pustule). It is a very soft leaf. I have B. imperialis which is the same soft feeling. Anyway it was sold as B. imperialis but has changed to B. 'Silver Jewel' by most folks today. (GRRR)
I didn't know about the new chapter being formed but that is great news. May they have a long and successful journey. I hope you are close enough to join for a year to see how it shakes out for you.
I started a new tray yesterday - 72 pellets and six plants (two leaves each and split into six wedges each). I concentrated on the UJR (Upright Jointed Rhizome) for this tray and alphabetized it this time - Charles Jaros, Connee Boswell, deliciosa, diadema, Little Brother Montgomery, and Mr. Hunt. I hope they all grow and prosper. Today I plan on 100 cuttings (4 square trays with 25 pellets - medium sized) of 10 (10 wedges each) big leaf begonias - Red Fred, Freddie, Red Umbo, Mrs. Ludwig, Bashful Bandit, Maggie Nodal, Taconite, Selph's Mahogany, Plum Gorgeous, and one more that I haven't decided on yet.
72 pellets of promise
Some of my other trays need potting up ASAP but no space to put bigger pots right now. What a dilemma.popmama (Colorado, USDA z5)
2 years agoRelated Discussions
what's your favorite begonia?
Comments (52)Angelwings I love!! I lost the name of a Begonia nursery that I ordered last year and have been searching since. Any suggestions? I live in the south on six acres with a potbellied pig named Bacon who weights in at 400 pds. two cats, a cockatiel and 30 chickens that my 88 year old dad plays with. He also loves women!!! and I have a husband who loves to build me all kind of shelves and stuff for more BEGONIA"S so he is a keeper!.we don't have any begonia clubs in Mississippi. Even the garden nursery's seldom get much in but a few common rex and a basic angelwings. Always wanted to go to the convention if it ever gets closer and meet real people like ya'll!!!! I have a small greenhouse off my back porch that my husband built for me that is full of begonia's and my cuttings. My next step is trying to grow the seeds. Betty...See MoreThe Sentinel's Incredible Disappearing.....
Comments (43)Judy--there is a Tampa chapter of the AMerican Begonia Society. They had their first judged begonia show in late February if I recall right. Marcia--the word "dignified" is the level of respect and development of horticultural endeavors. Comparatively speaking, there is much less experience with plants and/or maintenance issues with landscaping companies and their employees (illegal workers is yet another issue)...and,the quality of programming and other aspects of local botanical gardens is one that combines visitor needs with education and display and overall non-profit health. I have not encountered so much scoffing at "gardening" than in FL while mixing with people at various events--it's as if horticulture is equated with only rich people and then, only a subclass would dare to do it for them. I've also read of many city-governemnt based initiatives that seem to sound "groundbreaking" or "modern advances" that are off the mark (Port St. Lucie in particular!) It's like they are given a brochure and they buy a program or idea and have no grasp of hte context for its use. Perhaps another interesting observation is how belligerent many people are to the whole water restriction thing in south FLorida (is it same elsewhere?). Darn near EVERYONE has an excuse (placing blame on the water district, not me, I don't wanna, catch me if you can, blah blah). I have experienced droughts in other regions with same enforced restirctions and all, and in FLorida I've seen a lot of arrogance and indifference, even with governments. This holds true to a lot of professionals that give misleading info publicly about info that tends to blatantly undermine known facts about what plants need more water, when to water and how much. In a nutshell, there is less overall population that holds high regard or dignity with a passion of horticulture and the closely related good land stewardship and good (proven) maintenance practices. Go to other regions (more like regional pockets), and nearly everyone looks to a single botanical garden source as the leader or as a world-class example of a organization, etc. Or, all understand the need for say, shade trees, or drought-tolerant plants and thus it is easier to locate these plants in nurseries. Lots of things comparatively speaking make FL such a drought for the horticultural passion that dominates other areas of the US and Canada. "landscaping (horticulture)" is a business in FLorida, not a passion or lifestyle across the board....See MoreAdmitting Defeat - Xeriscaping?
Comments (32)some great ideas! it's good to others realizing xeriscaping doesn't mean catcus and gravel - only. i had rotten luck when i first moved to az, even following what you were "supposed to plant" rules. too much water and then not enough water, all the stuff - it wasn't that at all. my yard is humid due to a tree canopy and living w/i a mile of a river + monsoons (then). i switched to heatloving plants that tolerated humidity and did fine, immediatley. i didn't even have to add water. bananas and cannas do better for me than cactus. i got the idea from an old 1950's s.w. garden club book. a mile away in any direction and i wouldn't be able to grow the same things. there is a lot of variation within any area. don't assume too quick what the problem is. i dig a hole apx 6" deep, fill it and wait for it to drain to help me deciede how long i need to water. if your soil is fast draining, it should show up doing that. you try using some shade cover to reduce evaporation rates, larger leaf plants that use moisture through leaves (and trap it with shade canopy). i've also heard of layering plastic under the roots to help retain water (never tried it). the additives that retain water work very well - esp the kind that look like they turn to a jelly when wet - but it sounds like you've tried those. that's what makes me suspicious that something else might be going on if you've seen no results using things like that. if previous owners used some of the "kill everything" weed killers, it can take awhile before that's worked out of the soil (if it ever is)....See MoreAlocasia 'Hilo Beauty'
Comments (25)All aroids produce tubers. In horticulture the three terms tuber, bulb and corm are used interchangeably but there are scientific differences. I've seen all sorts of aroids sold as "bulbs" and corms but the science books say otherwise. I'll do my best to keep this simple but some of the explanation is tough. A tuber, bulb and a corm are all stems. Most people think of the stem as the support of a leaf but that part is called a petiole. Leaves are technically made up of two parts, the petiole and blade. Some people find it confusing when they read a scientific text and find "the stem is the support of the leaf". That is technically true but only if you understand the petiole is part of the leaf. A stem is the support of the plant. The definition would go something like this: The base, central axis and main support of a plant normally divided into nodes and internodes. The nodes often produce a leaf in the axil of which they produce roots and hold buds which may grow into shoots of various forms. The stem's roots anchor the plant either to the ground, a tree or to a rock. A stem may even spread as a repent rhizome creeping across the soil. May either grow above ground, underground or partially above the soil. Specialized stem forms are called a corm, tuber or bulb. A bulb is an underground storage structure used to store starches and water. A bulb is a condensed stem usually with a basal plate and fleshy storage leaves surrounding the bud that will form the next plant. It is composed of thick modified leaves arranged in layers that are used for food storage. If you want to see the inside of a bulb slice open an onion since an onion is a perfect example. The term bulb is used far more commonly in horticulture but should is not used in relationship to an aroid, at least by a scientist. Most people probably won't but if you did you could see an onion is not like the tubers that grow from an aroid. A corm is similar to both a bulb and a tuber but still different. The corm is an underground stem to which the above-ground parts of the plant may die back in the dormant season. It often stores starch and when it regrows foliage will come from the top and roots from the base like a typical stem. There are no true examples of a corm in the aroid family. My friend and scientist Christopher Rogers wrote the following to further describe a corm: "a corm is composed entirely of stem tissue. It is literally just an underground stem. It has an epidermal layer, a vascular cylinder with phloem and xylem and central pith. A corm can also be a starch storage organ, but it still has true stem tissue. This is why a corm has the new foliage growth coming from the top and the roots coming from the base. Corm examples are Crocus, Cyclamen and Gladiolus." Define phloem and pith The xylem is a plant tissue of various cells that is capable of transporting water and other substances including mineral salts to the leaves. A tuber is a strongly condensed stem as well as an underground structure which is almost entirely a starch storage organ. The buds for future growth and the roots all develop at the apex (top) when the tuber sometimes forms as the tip of a stolon. Stolons are stem runners or stem shoots that run atop or just under the ground from a plant. Stolons possess the ability to produce new plants from the buds along its length or at the apex (tip). Christopher explains further, "A tuber is just parenchyma (with some vascular tissue). It has an epidermal layer with some subdermal vascular tissue, and all the rest is parenchyma." Parenchyma is the primary tissue of most plants which is composed of the thin cells which form the bulk of leaves, roots and other plant parts. He continues with his explanation of a tuber, "It is almost entirely a starch storage organ. This is why the foliage and the roots all come from the top. Most plants with tubers have them borne on stolons, but that is not necessary. In Amorphophallus, Arum and Typhonium for example, the stem tissue is all encased in the small bud at the top of the tuber. That bud grows upward into a leaf or two, and outward into roots, with the tuber beneath. Other tuber examples are potatoes and Sinningia." Xylem is a network of hollow cells found in a plant's vascular system that transports water and soluble nutrients collected by the roots. Sorry to be technical, and I suppose there is nothing wrong with calling a tuber a corm or bulb but if you talk to a scientist they will likely frown if you use the wrong term....See Morehc mcdole
2 years agoCan I ask how much their annual dues are? Our dues are $20 for single and $30 for a couple. Not too bad. Also the parent chapter (American Begonia Society) is supposed to govern the chapters and require you be a member of the parent before joining a branch. Some chapters require that but others don't enforce it (we don't).
That is pustulata (I don't care for the Latin names but it is what the botanists go by so we have to play by their rules for proper naming).
You will be delighted to see how easy begonias (most begonias, not all) can be propagated.
I would say yours came from Exotic Angels/Costa Farms that supply the big box stores with lots of exciting plants. If only they kept their website up to date on new introductions (they do a lot of their plants but begonias are lacking). I just looked for your begonia and didn't see it on their website. Do an image search for silver rex begonia. It could be 'Shadow King'. Lots of rexes come from Antoon Hoefnagels in the Netherlands, Steve's Leaves in Texas, Harmony in Florida, and Terra Nova in Oregon. A lot of hobbyists grow from seed and introduce exciting new cultivars too.
I did my "night time" watering this morning (before 8 AM when the lights switch). Saw some seedlings coming up in this pot of Begonia 'Salsa') I probably sprinkled some seeds in there last year? Time will tell if these are worthy to grow on or just another wannabe.
Here is 'Salsa'
Here are some I started by leaf cuttings last year but they are still stuck in 3 inch pots so not a lot of room to grow. If I moved them to six inch soon, I am sure they would grow nice and big.
A bigger pot has a lot of room to grow as shown here by Connee Boswell. I had one tiny pot of it and picked off the remaining 3 leaves last year to save it. After they rooted and grew in their pellets, I moved those to 3 inch pots. Eventually I moved those 3 pots to this 12 inch pot in fall and here it is today.
Here are some more 3 inch pots on the top shelf.
You can do the same thing if I can do it.popmama (Colorado, USDA z5)
2 years ago
hc mcdole