How does everyone else overwinter their begonias - especially the rexes? What does your basement look like this year Butch?
Show us your winter set up
db, my basement continues to look like organized chaos - two more chrome shelves added this year for a total of 87 shop lights. It was a heck of a job moving everything indoors and then organizing it somewhat. It probably took 5 weeks or longer. Now I need to replace some rusted out drip pans and put pans under plants sitting on the floor, continue picking off bad leaves, spraying for mildew as I see it, and propagating more plants.
How about you?
Here is one of my shelves in the smallest room.
Another room with a total of seven chrome shelves in this room (about 22 lights).
My big room is crowded to the max. Two wooden homemade shelves (12 lights) and six chrome shelves for a total of 29 lights.
And my big utility room has 3 wooden shelves (18 lights) and two chrome shelves (8 lights). I have a bunch of canes here.
I have my rexes spread about in two rooms (the warmer rooms) and spray Milstop every week or two. I remove any yellowing or obviously bad leaves.
Propagation is in several rooms but the biggest room has more than its fair share.
Freddie was too big to put on a shelf so it had to go on the floor (same for Lotusland).
I'll take some pictures of the greenhouse and the rexes in the basement. Apparently aquariums are the secret to overwintering rexes. The mallets are struggling in the greenhouse, but I spray every week with milstop and cease.
My winter project is printing labels for all the plants. Of course, my fear of losing labels requires that each plant have 1 Eon metal marker, 1 plastic marker and 1 tie on marker, one side with name and sun requirement, the other side with aquisition source and date. The 60 brugs are done, the begonias will take a while.
Now the question I ask every year: does anyone have a cane called either pink freckles or pink sparkles? I has a dark leaf, pink flowers, and I really would like a cutting or the source of a plant. I have searched the internet, asked kartuz, taylor, lauray and lyndon lyon. Help!!!
LOVE the photos Butch! Me thinks you need a new, BIG greenhouse!
p.s. Flamingo Queen was stubborn to put out roots but FINALLY did and is now potted up and in a south west facing window. Happy clam!
DB, according to www.ibegonias.com database there is a cane type called 'Pink Freckles' and you may find more reference in Millie Thompson's 1984 update.
You may also consider posting your request to the Yahoo begonia group.
Thank you for the information on pink freckles. I've heard of the yahoo group - I'll have to check it out.
Thanks for the comments Laurie but I doubt I will be getting a BIG greenhouse anytime soon. Due to our frigid temps of late (low teens this morning) I'm glad I don't.
Good to hear FQ rooted for you - it isn't an easy one for sure but it and Texas Lone Star are worth the extra efforts in winter to keep it living. It and TLS are Very mildew prone.
My Pink Freckles from Harmony isn't all that spectacular and due to that fact I hardly have a picture of it when it was growing well during the summer. One year I hope it actually impresses me.
Here is FQ from this summer.
How about just a picture of a leaf of pink freckles so I can make sure that it was properly named? It was an incredible begonia for me. DH, who can't stand my plants, always commented on it.
Swooning here! I just love her giants silver dots and that silver edge... sigh!
Yes, please show Pink Freckles! And TLS if you have a photo of her!
It's so gray and dismal here, I'm starved for gardening.
I can only find 3 named photos of Pink Freckles (probably the same one I posted earlier on another thread) so you can tell I'm not at all enamored with it.
Here is the best of the 3:
Well I did find a couple more (unnamed) from July of this year (not much left in this year). I have it in the same pot as Little Miss Mummey and a couple other canes. Anyway here is Pink Freckles in its best pose from this summer.
Miss Laurie, here is TLS. Hard to photograph with those dark leaves and light pink flowers.
One more cane with no ID (yet). Very large leaves and light pink blooms like TLS but different.
Same cane in bloom later on.
Makes me wish it was summer again. Here is Lotusland and some rexes from late August.
OK, the begonia was mismarked. It was very similar to Miss Mummey, but a much stronger grower. I've contacted the seller on ebay repeatedly, but she is not the most responsive person.
Speaking of large leaf canes, does this one look familiar?
Another view. It is not a robust grower.
Butch, I really like that noid cane/Post #8260549 - especially the red reverse (coupled with those silver polka-dotss...swoooon!!) Here are progeny of B. maculata var. wightii
http://114.111.129.203/iBegonias/browserecord.php?-action=browse&-recid=3120&p=progeny&-recnum=9
(FQ is in the mix) Do any those ring a bell?