About 6 years ago I picked up an unamed seedling Begonia from Blackmore & Langdon (who specialise in Delphs and Begonia). It was flowering back then but hasn't since. Today it opened a huge bud for the first time in 5 years and I'd like to show it off :)
A lot of people treat Begonias as simple bedding plants but there are some truly lovely cultivars out there.
Blackmore & Langdon
http://www.blackmore-langdon.com/frameset.htm
Aren't you glad you waited this one out? Beautiful! I recently became interested in hardy Begonias. Any thoughts on these? Safe zones? Sun? Shade? Cultivars?
Ahhh well it's my fault it hasn't flowered since really, the large cultivars need a lot of feeding and that's something we rarely do, prefering to pot up in good soil and hope *G*
Begonia grandis? I don't know much about them at all. I ran a seach and it's stated they are hardy down to zone 6 but the book I have states that it's only hardy down to 32F
I saw B. grandis growing in Pittsburgh. It was very sheltered and seemed to be in morning sun, afternoon shade. As soon as I saw it I wanted one. I am going to try one in the spring.
It looks a lot like the one I posted in the annuals forum. The reason I posted it there, I was considering the bulb forum but begonias are actually tubers, is that I do not have good luck with them coming back the second year. In fact, the second year, they won't bloom for me. So, I treat them like annuals. I think it is a hybrid tuberous begonia, like mine. It is very beautiful.
Yes it is a tuberous hybrid Begonia, bred by top breeders although this one wasn't special enough for the standards they breed for.
Tubers, bulbs and corms all seem to be discussed here at times. They are incredibly heavy feeders so if you want to keep a particular Begonia give it a good feed every month.
Yes, I noticed the flowers got larger after feeding, I just worry about over doing it. It is so easy to get carried away seeking better and better results. Did you take a look at my photo on the annual forum?
Yes I did and a very beautiful orange with a dark picotee it is too!
You must be a very stuborn gal Baa. I can't say I'd wait 5 years for a begonia! It's certainly a beauty. Will you store the tuber over the winter or bring it in to grow as a house plant? I have a few I'll need to store.
LOL Poppysue no just lazy!
It was in flower when I bought it and has kept one or two leaves all the way through. It's just lived in the same pot all this time and gets bought into the greenhouse overwinter. I really must repot it this year (I must say that to myself every year but now I have a reason to do it *G*).
Baa that is beautiful!
