B. 'Lotusland' is my largest leaf begonia.
show your bigt leaf begonias
B. 'Freddie' is quite large.
B. 'Red Fred' is a sport of B. 'Freddie' so it should be as large.
B. 'Red Umbo' is a giant.
B. 'Challenger' is not only a giant leaf but also some of the biggest, longest petioles as well.
B. 'Caribbean King' is not as large a leaf but can be a giant plant.
B. 'Caribbean Queen' can actually get larger than the King.
B. 'Selph's Mahogany' has some dark leaves and can be quite big. This is not my biggest one but is easier to get to.
B. 'Holley Moon' has leaves approaching 'Lotusland'
B. parvifolia looks like it should get to be a huge begonia. It is tall growing too (not a rhizomatous)
B. gigantea isn't all that big.
Now to compare big leaves here is Alocasia 'Thai Giant' which was a baby plant just 3 months ago.
And one big flower - Hibiscus 'Fireball'
Beautiful leaves Butch. I'm partial to the large leaf Begonia's too.
Jackie, they do make a statement. My Maggie Nodal hasn't done much growing this year so I didn't include it. It probably would benefit by moving it to a larger container and fresh soil.
Wow - they are amazing! I guess I've never seen any of the big leaves!
What happens in the winter? Do they defoliate?
Some do but most keep their leaves all winter. I just remove the older ugly ones which may be fine for propagation too.
wow those are some massive leaves.
this is b. pomponeii i think. this is about one of the biggest i have.
this one is my favorite
did you get the lotusland form PHOE?
Where on earth do you buy these large leaved Begonia? I have never seen anything like them. They are amazing!
Also, if B. parvifolia isn't rhizomatous, what is it?
Thanks for sharing those pictures Candela. The last one (nelumbiifolia) can get HUGE! At Fairchild Gardens I saw one in the conservatory that had to be two feet across!
I got Lotusland at the 2007 L.A. Convention at Mike Flaherty's store - The Gazebo and split the cost with another woman from Florida. I gave her the biggest piece and I took a rhizome with one leaf. Lost mine in the winter. Two years later at the West Palm Beach convention the woman propagated me a new one so I successfully got this one through the winter this past year. It is a bit hard to propagate for me but I finally got a couple to root and grow.
Mary, you can buy the large leaf begonias from mail order places such as eBay, Taylor Greenhouses, Palm Hammock Orchid Estates, Kartuz, and maybe a couple of others. The best way to obtain them is to visit nurseries in person and attend conventions. B. parvifolia was purchased on eBay a few years ago for example and is either a thick stem or a shrub/cane. Here is a picture of one in its entirety and this is not my largest one (it seems like the newer shoots from the ground become larger than the older canes). B. 'Art Hodes' is the one sprawling around the base of this begonia.
Wow, do you have a greenhouse to overwinter, or do they do okay outside in your zone? I've accumulated a few small rhizomatous this summer and have no idea where I'm going to put them when all the plants have to be brought inside in a few weeks.
I have never seen these huge-leaved Begonias, before. I'll say it again, WOW! :)
Edited to add...on second thought, maybe I have seen the large leaved varieties, at least in pictures, and never realized they were so big because I never saw anything next to them for scale. Thank you for putting your hand on the leaves so I could get an idea of the size!!!
This message was edited Sep 3, 2010 9:39 AM
I bring mine into the basement for winter. I run about 80 shoplights and will add six more this fall. It's like a jungle in winter.
I used to put some big begonias in BIG pots (18 inch) but stopped that since it takes up a lot of space and was too easy to overwater.
Here is my Caribbean Queen five years ago in an 18 inch pot.
WOW!!! those are some BIG ones.
Soooo, now you just put them in smaller pots? And repot them in the spring?
I try to limit the size to 12 inches max except Lotusland which is still in an 18 inch pot. I like the big sizes but moving them in and out and potting down and up is too much work.
Whew,,, yes, hard on the back.. LOL
Holley Moon in a 12 inch pot. Hard to imagine if it was in an 18 inch one.
Butch, I sure didn't realize Holley Moon was such a big Begonia, very pretty.
Jackie, I have to shoot that begonia sideways since
1) I can't use my widest angle lens - communication error with the camera
2) I have big pots blocking access to the front of it. I use the big pots to help keep the dogs out of this area.
Here is one of the big pots full of coleus to block access. You can see Holley Moon a little bit in the background.
Great idea to block the plants from your large dogs. Love the Coleus.
Holley Moon two days ago showing some of the rhizomes.
Red Umbo with freebie green form heracleifolia. These are in a 15 inch pot but looks like they could be moved up again.
Broad view of some of the begonias with Lotusland dominating the landscape.
This message was edited Sep 26, 2010 3:59 AM
Is that U309 near the end of the path with a red center caladium next to it? WOW the leaf is huge. I have them in terrarium only here - 6 or 7" leaves is all I can get.
Your begonias look GREAT!
Hey eagle eye. Yes that is U309. I have to water it almost every day. It is kind of ragged now from falling debris. Here is an earlier picture of it this summer.
The back of U309 with the sun shining through the front makes it look like an entirely different plant.
Gorgeous Begonia Butch
It's one of my favs! Love the reverse shot! I have to treat it like a delicate rex here, hence the terrarium.
Hey, I'm looking for a cane called 'Amelia' if you have it or know of someone who does. It's one of Paul's hybrids - he lost his and is looking to replace it.
We're starting the wind-down here, fall is in the air , time to migrate begonias back into the greenhouse and inside. And though it's been in the high 80's low 90's this last week, the nights are pretty chilly.
Thanks Jackie. It has done exceptionally nice this summer. In the past I had it in a 16 inch plastic salad bowl. Then it went into steep decline so I moved it outside this summer and it grew like gangbusters.
Laurie, have you checked Taylor GH for Amelia? Kartuz? I do not have it.
I will start moving begonias in mid next month through November. I have the club coming the second weekend in Oct so things will stay outside for that.
Here is U309 in the old terrarium (lid on)
