Hi Butch :) Stormy, now you've done it - you've attracted a "true addict" and he knows all the "street corners" where you can get your fix! He's even been known to pick up a few at his local hardware store of all places! LOL
Begonias Anonymous - Attention Addicts and Enablers
Stormila: I feel your pain . It takes so much determination to refrain oneself from the begonia addiction I have a dozen or so , not counting all the give away . My 2 Grand daughters love plants so they are easy targets (african violets, begonias etc...) I have not turned them on orchids yet my next step. I am not an enabling Grand ma just a dealer turning on my grand children into plant lovers and gardeners ( got Grand son 19 to tend the vegetable garden) he benefit's from it he eats all the veggies... I try to control myself but it is hard I have a collection of orchids that bloom thru the year and the begonias that bloom at different times... I have marmaduke for several years , it has done very well for me untill lucie decided that it was in her way and knocked down breaking quite a few leaves... (lucie the cat still alive LOL) She got me to repot one orchid at 4 AM this morning. She does not want me to get bored... pictures to follow Lucie, then the begonias...
Stormila : Here is a picture of "Mini tiger" beside the folliage of unknown begonia as many are in my house LOL. It is ready to be divided ......
WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Double wow!
Mary you are absolutely hysterical.
orchid, pretty cat! and so innocent looking
And she purrs all the time, she is a love bug who is in perpetual mischief LOL
Orchidfancy, Now I just read that the latest pet rage is a pig in a teacup. You're just my kind of gal, one who follows their own drummer. Lucie, the repotting Kitty has to nudge Grandma to keep up the gardening duties. Tonight she'll be starting on that Lovely "Mini Tiger" probably at 3AM. Your NOID looks like a close relative of Gita's Angelwing.
This forum is full of many Grandma & Mommy pushers. Our own Critterologist is giving her 2 month old Critterette her own Crocus planting party. We like to start them young in the MidAtlantic.
Holly's grandson, JR is on the road to addiction, but I'm pretty sure he hasn't graduated to her Orchids yet. He's still in the pot(ting) stage.
Chantel, our resident fragrance addict, pushes her Grandbaby Chloe and her Furry friends at the same time.
Sally is hard at work on spreading the addiction to her 3 children, well 1 or 2 anyway. However, her Addy is a full fledged Daylily splitting addict.
RCN' s Phoebe is a long term plant junkie. She's hard at work on the new pup.
Jen & Onewish both are leading their pups down the road to perdition.
You might want to enroll Lucie here:
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/956348/
This message was edited Oct 8, 2009 11:34 AM
STORMILA: Lucie has made me rethink my house from what is sitting on the mantel of the fireplace to what plants are sitting where and what breakable googaahs I should have or should not have. We have a boy cat BabyBoo, who never climb anywhere or broke anything , she make's up for him and she has taugh him few bad habits in the process, like chewing on plants dedrobriums are one of the top choice .... She does not like vases on the table unliss it involve posing in front of them. She will pull the flowers outof the vase one at the time during the night . Since she does not like mums the last bouquet was very safe LOL. You have some of the most beautiful begonias let me know when you have some spareone LOL.... I can always make room for another one LOL....
BabyBoo and Lucie posing for the new camera
SOOO--I have to miss a Thread that has already gone to 87 Posts before i found it?????
MAN! Do I ever live in a "BOX" called "Threads you are watching"......
WHAT is wrong with me?????? BUMMER!
Gita
My hardware store closed a couple of years ago (boo hoo) so now I have to go to conventions and FL to get my fix.
AHH--Hemcode---NICE picture!!!!
That is the same "Angel Wing" Begonia that i have had for ages-----and that lives on for posterity from cuttings!
It is an easy one to grow and to propagate!
Gita
some shots I took today
2
3
4
#4 is huge btw
Cute kittys orchidfancy :)
Gita, nothing wrong with you - notice the time of the posts, you were probably still sleeping! LOL Stormy got me started, went searching for photos and I couldn't stop :)
Butch, love that Begonia - name? Sad that your hardware store closed but I don't think you'll suffer - you always know where to find the goodies! If I ever figure out how to get a small attached greenhouse or set up something in the basement I'll definitely be adding to our collection once again :)
onewish, I've never had success with tuberous Begonias but yours are beautiful!
Leaving for the weekend so no time to take pictures of Begonias I brought inside but I found a few more from 2005 and 2006. 2005, the year I found Lyndon Lyon Greenhouses :( http://www.lyndonlyon.com/
2006, most came through the winter fine but by 2008 we had a lot of losses :(
thank you Rcn... and all those are pretty... I had a few rex ones.. but they only lasted a few years for me
this one was one of my favs this year
Orchid, I've heard of child proofing your house, but not kitty proofing.
I'll be happy to send you Begonia leaves, but I'm not going to try to start rooting any indoors as I don't have the room. I can do it outside in the spring. OH heck, maybe I will try. Who needs a christmas tree anyway???? I really need to see if I have any success overwintering them. But comments made here lead me to believe that folks take cuttings to ensure that they have a survivor in the spring. N'est pas?
You should not have trouble keeping your bouquets undisturbed this time of year, just add some Mums. Babyboo is a handsome one. I'm not sure that I could tolerate a bouquet wrecking kitty. No milk for her!!
hcmcdole, That Angelwing is beautiful. I don't think it is the same as Gita's. The leaves are darker and the blooms are more red.
I really like those two with silver marked leaves on either side of the front of your garden. Do you know their names?
Yes, good pushers come and go. But a true addict will always find another source.
Onewish, your Tuberose Begonias are gorgeous. I haven't grown any of those in a while. Your camera is really good at picking up the reds. I remember when you posted photos of how big some of the tubers were. Which was the giant one? I love that yellow and red picotee.
RCN, I might have to unwatch my own thread!!! I'm craving a Fireworks and that cute fuzzy round leafed one.
RCN & Butch, do either of you know the name of the one in my opening post?
stormy,
The one in your opening Post looks just like the one Jill gave me. I had rooted cuttings of a few of these at Holly's Swap.
They were in teeny-tiny pots....
The remaining ones I have at home are still in those tiny pots. I need to re-pot them in a bigger pot and see if they will grow as nice as the first year I had them from Jill.
Onewish--LOVE, LOVE all your photos! What camera do you have?...she asks,...as if the photographer had nothing to do with a picture's quality......It IS in the eye of the photographer--composition, angle, a steady hand, etc....
Gita
Here is a bunch of Begonias I purchased in the Spring of 2006. Don't have any of them left....I think they didn't even last a year....I must not know how to grow them.....
Gita, Silly gal, That Begonia is one of yours. LOL
Those Begonias are beautiful. Shame they are gone. I'm just reading your post on the garden objects thread, and will reply here to keep it all together.
Thanks for your compliments. I had a lot of fun writing this oddessy of addiction! And you SHOULD feel guilty about your enabling. Misery loves company.
I'm thinking of ways to solve the indoor humidity issue. Maybe a small humidifier in the plant stand area would help. Anyone have any experience with one of those? I don't have room in my fireplace for a kettle as there is a Heatolater inside of it. No radiators either. I did see folks on the Begonia Forum putting bell jars over smaller ones. Maybe they had been larger ones that they cut down.
Do people cut the Begonias all down before they bring they bring them inside?
Maybe I'll try to catch some yard sales to look for a shelf sized aquarium. Thanks for the Beefsteak offer. If you don't mind, I'd rather wait until the seed swap if we have one. I can't really bring a lot of new things into the house with the Holidays coming up. It's bad enough that I've got one of those Mushroom Grow kits coming. I forgot about the Mandevilla too. See what you folks have done to me????
honestly I do not see one photo of that massive tuber... it really doesn't flower all that well... but I still can't believe not one was worth keeping.. I will have to go and see if there are any blooms on it
here is my camera
http://www.olympusamerica.com/CPG_SECTION/cpg_support_manuals.asp?id=1295
the small one to the right is a cutting I made from that big one.. I know I have another shot in my tea cup planter.. just have to find it
would help if I attached it
this is not from that massive one... just another cutting... and the one in the tea cup.. not the right one
ok this one is the big momma
"would help if I attached it "
ROFL , happens to me too
Oh, my third begonia=came form critterologist. Got big in summer so I started a new little one for this winter, next year will be medium, third year will be huge and need rejuvenating-circle of houseplant life
and this is from the 2nd biggest
Onewish, I like those big round leaves.
Sally, That's a Beautiful Angelwing. Do you know it's name?
Gita, I think the cane is Mary Ann Flunker (best guess gazing over all the pictures on the web). Bought it 7 years ago coming back from Key West at a Mom and Pop nursery on one of the keys.
SallyG's begonia looks like Lois Burks.
Here is 'Purple Snow'.
stormy--I thought that one in the opening post looked familiar! Silly me is right!
Sally--I had that same Begonia from Jill. It did great the first year--filled an 8" pot--then (the silly me again--)thought I should transplant it in a HB. Well--it died a slow death.....Maybe it just got too much water outside?
I have a couple struggling, small cuttings of it--but they will be trash soon as I need the space for other plants....
hcmcdole--(and I called you "hemcode" in an above post---talk about dyslexic!--Mea culpa!)
I agree--your silver speckled begonia is NOT the same as I have. My spots are much smaller.....Love the one you have--so much more intense in color.
onewish--mailed your Beefsteak leaves off today----Did not thing too far ahead, though. Should have mailed it a couple of days ago. Monday is a Federal holiday--so the box will sit somewhere for an extra 2 days. Bummer!
Re-cut the stems and hydrate them well when you get them.
Did a lot of yard work today--mowed the lawn--watered the whole Garden--sweating away!.....83*!!! Can you believe it? Came in and made a batch of pickles....Ready to settle down--and my girl-friend calls......
They are going to the VFW and they always call me when they are going to see if i want to come too. I would not miss some company! A few beers---some Chicken Wings--and some good company. Just--I am going "as is".....
Me!
stormyla--hcmcdole has a better guess than I; all I know is "came from critterologist" I'll be sure and have plenty next swap.
Thanks, hcmcdole. That "Purple Snow" is just beautiful. Do you move them into your house? I can't begin to imagine that.
Thanks, Sally. I'll be looking forward to it.
will do ... thank you Gita
Yes, I move every one inside for winter. The end of the month is usually the deadline. Some tropicals have come back by letting them outdoors but it does set them back big time such as cordylines, bird of paradise, variegated shell ginger, tibouchina, and a few others. I don't trust begonias to survive winter here but a couple of them have over the years.
love em all