Would anyone have one to sell or can you tell me where I can get one OR where to look?
Thanks!
Jonetta
I am looking for a Cowardly Lion begonia.....
Hi Jonetta, I know I have seen it online for sale in all my searching.. Have you checked on Ebay? I'll do some looking around for you and post it here if I find one. ChuLin.
OK, none on Ebay, but Taylor Greenhouses has it. Taylorgreenhouses.com. Hope this helps you. ChuLin
Thank You so much ChuLin - I have been looking with no luck! I had one and am embarrassed to tell the story. I bought my pot with this particular begonia in it, out of the garage. I had forgotten it was planted in this pot (as it totally dies back each year). I dumped the pot and planted something else in it. By the time I realized it, DH had already tilled the garden where I had dumped out the potting soil.
I had had this begonia for about 5 years and it is a beautiful one! I was sick. I only discovered what it was by research on the internet and DG. It was not marked when I bought it.
Again, Thank-You so much for your time and trouble in helping me find it!!
Jonetta
ChuLin - Just wanted you to know I just ordered the Cowardly Lion from Taylor Greenhouse.
Thanks!
Jonetta
I am glad I was able to help you. Your story sounds like something I would do...haha. I hope you get a wonderful C Lion plant from them...let me know as I have never ordered from them and am thinking about it. ChuLin
ChuLin - I will! :)
Hi-- got here a little late-- could have sent you leaves of Cowardly Lion-- but a plant is faster;) I have ordered from Taylor GH-- they sent nice plants.
Thanks Hillbilly_Gran _ I would probably have taken you up on your offer, but like you say a plant will be faster. I am glad to know however that you were happy with your order from them. Are they pretty fast?
Jonetta
The post from truongr on June 19, 2009 "Help with begonia ID please" - is that Cowardly Lion? I am hoping it is, because that is what the one I lost looked like. I hope I have ordered the right thing.
Jonetta
Yes it seemed they were pretty quick to ship. It is hard for me to tell from the picture--they are both so similar-- the leaf shape on CL is not as round-- seems to be a much bigger plant-I really need to see them side by side to tell the difference. When I get my camera back from my daughter-- I'll post a pic of the 2 leaves for ya.
Tommie
Sounds great I appreciate your help.
The one I lost was a big plant and had the rounded leaves. I hope I have ordered the right one to replace my incredibly stupid boof. If not I am sure I will love it anyway. I will just have to keep looking and researching if it isn't the right one. I also ordered Northern Lights which looks similar - but I think the Cowardly Lion is a closer fit - at least according to the truongr picture and if her guess is right.
Wish I knew a good picture reference book of begonias.
Jonetta
WHOOPS--I had that backwards--- the CL has rounder leaves--I looked after I posted-- it is definately the larger plant. Mark Tebbit has a good book-- but there isn't really a good pictorial reference that I am aware of. If you find one- lmk
Tommie
Good, that gives me some hope I have the right one. I looked on line for some books and a couple were really expensive. One was ninety something and the other eighty something. The reviews sounded on one of them like it was more for a professional grower than just an ordinary person. I did find another one that looked like it may be good, but I would have to go back and look at all three to tell you what they were. This Tebbit rings a bell, but again I was just browsing so would have to look again.
I just bought the book on Amazon-- actually bought it used but in new condition-- the price plus shipping was a little over $20--about Amazon price with out shipping. The American Begonia Society has a few books too-- www.begonias.org they also have photos online-not sure if that one is included--but you don't have to be a member to look;)
Tommie
Do you like the Tebbit book real well? The two that were so expensive was by a Jack Klempin and the other two was by Mildred L. Thompson and Edward Thompson, but wayyy tooo expensive for what I want.
I do like the Tebbit book-- there aren't too many books out there and this one is nice, covers a lot of species and 100 cultivars. Makes me want more-- thats for sure.
Lots of good pictures in the book for reference??
A Few--but not actually a pictorial reference tho-- you should go to the ABS website-- lost of good pics--of cowardly lion and northern light-- completely backwards from the way mine are labelled tho.
Thanks Hillbilly_Gran for all of your help and input!
Thanks ChuLin for all of your help also and putting me on to the website that sold the Cowardly Lion!
ChuLin/Hillybilly_Gran - Received my Northern Lights today in the mail. I thought that was a pretty fast turn around as I think it was the 29th that I had ordered it. It was definitely shook-up by all the handling. I watered it and washed off the leaves, then went ahead and potted it. THEN I read a little insert that came with it and said Do Not plant it immediately after arrival to let it sit a few days. Hope I didn't hurt it any by going ahead, but there was not much dirt left in the pot on the roots anyway, half of the dirt had came out in the shipping box. This is the one from Peppers Greenhouse. I can tell by the plant it is not the one I "lost" (Ha!) so am hoping the next one coming in will be it. I know I am going to like this Northern Lights though. I bought a Madame Queen the other day and THEN came home and read some of the posts on her only to find out she is hard to raise :(.
Jonetta
Just because Madame Queen is a problem child for some-- she may not be for you. I can grow some "difficult" begonias--no sweat-- and can kill the foolproof ones. YOU won't know til you try and as Tony Avent says-- "don't give up until you have killed it 3 times" ^_^ I usually go for 4.
Tommie
What a hoot! Sounds like a plan to me!!!
Oh, haha, why stop at 4? I am on my 2nd try with Harmonys Reb Robin. So I guess I have a way to go! Hope your plant from Pepper's makes it. The only order I did from them was such a disappointment I will never order from them again. Anyway, I saw a Cowardly Lion (supposedly) up for auction on Ebay yesterday. I also saw what I think was a CL at our greenhouse...it was HUGE in a big floor pot. Wow. Post a pix of the one you received, OK? ChuLin
If you like any particular begonia then buy them when you can and if the price isn't out of sight.
Rexes are such a bright spot that they should at least be used like annuals and are usually plentiful during the growing season. Learn from past mistakes and propagate, propagate, propagate for the future.
For instance I have tried 'Pink Diamonds' several times. The last time I bought one (last summer), I told the lady at the nursery that I was going to propagate the dickens out of this one. I started 4 leaves in a big aquarium (120 gallons) and 4 in water. The ones in water rooted fast but I lost those from neglect (dried out after I potted them up). The mother plant is toast but the leaves I put in the aquarium are now full fledged plants.
Here is a pot of several different rexes I threw together. If they make it through winter then that would be great, if not then I will get some more next year.
WOW! hcmcdole - Looks like you have the touch to me. What a beautiful collection! I wish I had about a 20x40 sun room for all the plants I love. However my DH says it would not matter I would have it full and just want something bigger! Thanks for sharing the pic and the info.
Jonetta
ChuLin - I will post a pic as soon as I can. I sat it in the shade and went out and looked at it this am. This bigger plant did not look too bad this am, but the two smaller pieces are still lying down. :( They had roots but were pretty ship-worn. Hope at least one of the three will make it. I guess that is part of the fun - seeing what you can do with them? However when you pay good money, you would like a good start. I will post a pic in the next couple of days and then if I can remember, in a few weeks. I can't say I have ever gotten any mail order plant that looked terrific, so we will see.
Daylily---A lot of times you can perk up the wimpy ones by putting them in a humid environment-- plastic cups/bags whatever, especially if they are indoors. Once they are better you can wean them back out of it. Of course this is coming from the lady who bought "little darling twice" and neither arrived in good shape--I think the last one is putting on new leaves--we will see!!!. It was the same as yours-- all the soil came out in shipping--so much for waiting to repot--I had it in a terrarium--but it is so humid outside-- i just set it out. 1 maybe 2 down-- 2 to go;)
Hi, I finally figured out that the way to go for me is to propogate each plant as I get it...then hopefully I will have one or the other survive! Have leaves in soil and other leaves in mini- water "jugs". Have starts of all 3 of my Rexes going, and of the 3 peperomias too. Now, with MY luck both plants and starts will die. Heck, I could probably kill an artificial silk plant!! ChuLin
It has to arrive alive to propagate it;) But that is a good idea if one has the room!!!
Here is Northern Lights from Peppers greenhouse.
Another one of Northern Lights
Last one of Northern Lights
-Also got the Cowardly Lion from Taylor Greenhouse today. Here is a pic of it.
Second pic of Cowardly Lion
Jonetta, the CL from Taylors looks very good to me...what do you think? Is it what you thought was CL? The one from Peppers looks about as bad as the ones I got from them. Do leave feedback on Watchdog for both places. I think these places (granted, I've only done 2 mail orders for plants) could at least inspect the pots for bugs before they send them. Four centipedes and a snail from Peppers does not make up for a wimpy little plant that has no roots and is dying. Oh well, I guess you learn as you go, huh? The one from Taylors looks full and robust. I hope it is, and that you are happy with it. Let us know how you feel about the 2 orders now that you can compare them. Thanks, ChuLin
I've had good sized plants with most orders from Peppers (Accents for Home and Garden) so I'm surprised at the anemic looking 'Northern Lights' from them. I would call or write them and see if you could get a replacement.
I too have gotten great plants from Peppers--definately let them know.
ChuLin/hcmcdole/Hillbilly_Gran - the "robust" one I think is going to be Cowardly Lion. The one I had was more browns and golds but from all I am reading about it on DG it has many faces depending on the light. So I think it is going to be the one I lost, I SURE HOPE SO.
I am not sure how to leave feedback on the Watchdog and until I find out if they are going to replace it I hate to leave a negative. To be truthful I never even thought about calling them about it, I hope it makes it, I hate to call and get another one and then this one live. However it does look pretty pitiful doesn't it? - esp. compared to the one from Taylors. I had never ordered from either one of them before.