Tropicals & Tender Perennials: Consider Joining the American Begonia Society, 1 by hcmcdole

hcmcdole wrote:
I guess I can type this in once more - ARRGH! I hate it when you spend lots of time composing only to have it deleted mysteriously at the last moment, don't you?

Wouldn't you love to tag along with some of the old masters (Julie, Tim, Mike F., Mike K., Brad) around for a month or so? I learned a lot from some other growers on The Garden Web and the Yahoo group but not that much from the ABS web site or their publication (sorry).

You've got an advantage of living in CA where a lot of the experts live. I know FL has their share too but for the most part seem a bit more preoccupied. I'm surprised their aren't some experts from Mexico and Central America chiming in where a lot of the species come from.

Anyway I digress. What I would love to see is for begonias to become more mainstream. Most people think of wax, tuberous, and rex when begonia is mentioned. Isn't that what Mark Tebbitt said at the convention (did you know there is another author with the same name but has only one "T" at the end but his subject seems to be philosophy of law)? Most of us already knew that begonias are not well known, just didn't write a book about it. I know a lot of people will go out of their way NOT to shop at the big 3 (Home Depot, Wal-Mart, and Lowes) but that is about mainstream as you can get (I chose them since they also sell plants versus Sears, Macy's, etc.) Wouldn't it be great to either find your favorite begonias at one of these stores that is fully grown and at a decent price instead of scouring the web (or begging as some folks do) for a small start at a ridiculous price or you can order from a full color catalog at the store whatever you desired to be grown for you in a matter of a few weeks (possibly shipped to your house from the store)?

Here are some rexes from another Ace Hardware store nearby. I cut out the ugly background and replaced it with a green screen.