For some of us, this weekend brings temps in the single numbers and below zero at night....Brrrr. Which is why I have been looking through all of the begonia mail order sites....planning for spring! I have seen recommendations for various begonias throughout this forum and thought it would be nice to put some of them under one topic so those of us who are "newer" or those who are new to begonias could scroll through one area as we are trying to decide what to order this spring. If something has been particularly easy to grow, please mention it, but even if it is a bit fussy, if it is a favorite, still name it. Any and all varieties welcome!
Favorite Begonias
Canes are my favorite begonias.
Josephine
Texas Tea Sipper
Amelia (or so I am told)
Sweet Shirley
The tall ones are Alma Swisher and Winning Way.
It's later in the season, so thinks are getting leggy.
Thanks db, your pics are really good. I think I like canes best as well. I am not familiar with them enough to have favorites yet, although I really like Tom Ment. I hope others will add to this thread, whatever their favorites are.
I really like Josephine and Texas Tea Slipper. Do you order from one source more than an other?
My two most vigorous growers are canes: Sophie Cecile and Eldora.
Eldora has grown at least 7 feet tall for me.
Another fave: Sinbad.
Orococo: I have found it to be a trailer and I plan to put it in a hanging basket this spring.
I do like Taylor's, Logees in November for the $5.00 sale, and Kartuz for things I can get anywhere else (just put in my first order to them yesterday). Flowerjunkie here on DG has great begonias - she may be selling some this spring. I don't know if Texas Tea Sipper is available commercially - you are certainly welcome to cuttings from me.
If I can get to Oklahoma City in May for the ABS convention, that may be the best source of all.
Thanks for your input kill. I had Sinbad one year...and then I brought it inside for the winter. Of course now that I have been reading many of these threads, I may have chucked it too soon. I didn't bother with it last year because of that. It is just too hard to toss it at the end of the season when it looks its best (before coming inside). I am going to try it again this year.
db, you mentioned you just put in an order to Kartuz; when are you having it shipped? We are very close temperature wise; I am thinking about third week in May? I am always conservative with my early orders and wondering if I could order earlier since I do have a place for them inside before the temps warm up.
As I look around at different order sites I will look for Texas Tea Slipper. If I can't find it I may take you up on the cuttings. That would be really great.
I can't imagine what must be at the convention...it would be overload for me!
Shifty the canes that work for me are: Cracklin Rosie, Lana, and Looking Glass. Others that are not canes but my favorites would be: Torch, Orange Rubra, Escargot, Snowman, Red Fred, Deco Daddy, Tita, Caravan, 501, 508, Staudii and Dorothy Behren. I receive my begonias from EBay, Logees and my Atlanta Chapter Begonia Club.
looking_glass.....thank you for posting. I really appreciate everyone's input. I love Orange Rubra as well. Unfortunately mine is not happy in my house this winter with forced air heat. I believe it will definitely survive and I am sure will be fine again come spring when it goes back outside. Thanks again!
I usually get Kartuz sometime in May - whenever they feel it is safe to ship.
Nokomis (or Elizabeth Lahn) - ignore the peeling paint on the urn
db, that is beautiful! Nokomis goes on my 'to buy' list. Thanks for the beautiful pic.
Gorgeous db! I've never heard of many of these..thanks for the pics.
OK, one is Elizabeth Lahn and one is Nokomis. It's too cold to go outside to the greenhouse and look at the leaves. Both from Lauray of Salisbury.
I braved the frigid weather. Nokomis is the first one - light colored flowers. Elizabeth Lahn has dark flowers. Both lovely.
It is mighty cold out there.
So Shifty, do you ever visit the area? Or do you work near 900 Jefferson Rd. in Rochester?
Everything looks so lush and green in your courtyard..I really miss that color! Those are definitely two to look for in Lauray of Salisbury. The darker flowered one is really striking.
db, that is a beautiful landscape!
db I think our posts crossed. Thanks for braving the cold. 900 Jefferson Rd...Palmers Market??? or is that the Genesee Regional Market address? That is actually closer to work than home; probably 15 mins from work and 20 from home. Have you been there? I haven't been out your way in several years.
Thanks for the compliments. Green does look very nice right now. I think I'm going snowblind.
The Jefferson Rd address is our regional office. There's a chance I could ask one of our employees to take a package of cuttings back to the office for you to pick up. Since you have forsaken the Albany area....
Think it is warmer in TN than in NY? Let's go visit killdawabbit.
Must be warmer there. I saw on the news this morning it was -44 in Lake Placid, made me feel a little warmer while driving to work and my car said it was only -5 here.
Wow, the cutting thing...better than Christmas if that ever worked out. Not forsaken Albany...just haven't had a reason for the road trip.
I'll see when we have people traveling. Maybe towards spring. If I give them cuttings now, they'd freeze in the car while they ate lunch.
I think the lowest we've had all winter is around 10 degrees. But it's been such a persistent cold. Unusual for this area.
db, that sounds fantastic. Wow, thanks so much. Even more reason to hope for the warmer weather (not that the list isn't already really long!)
I took some pictures in the greenhouse over the weekend. The canes look better in the summer, but here are more favorites. Galaxy Quest:
Little Miss Mummey, in the back, dark leaves:
Paper Snowflakes:
Sophia (love this one):
Gypsy Maiden, not the easiest to grow, but beautiful leaves:
And Jim Wyrtzyn:
Too many? or not enough?
And another:
And to show the depth of my obsession (just how many plants do I own?):
db, you're killing me!
Galaxy Quest is beautiful. Also, Little Miss Mummey. I've got to have Gypsy Maiden.
You certainly do not have too many. :-D
I like to use the canes as bedding plants. Keep the pics coming.
Gypsy Maiden is a magnet for PM and fungus. I drench her weekly with Cease and Milstop. But she's worth it. I went to Logee's on Sunday (20% off sale both retail and web) and bought more plants. Thank goodness, cause I didn't have enough.