Here are some photos to cheer you up in the dead of winter Ms Crazii
The Ho-Hum dreary days of winter
More cheerfulness...
Good cheer for this time of year...
My final cheery photo for today...
Mmmm, Hortus Botanicus! Went last year while camping nearby. Hubby felt sorry for me in freezing in the cold so humored me and took me there and the Botanical Gardens. Here he is with Penny, refusing to step in the begonia house but he did check out it's construction. :-)
Now that the holidays are over, what's new with everybody? I have a couple of rhizomatous throwing some blooms and most of the plants I started in the fall are looking pretty good. A lot of rhizomatous (and most of the rexes) are starting to put out new leaves. There are some sick looking puppies as well (I moved a few under humidity covers to see if that might revive them).
Here is 'Shamus' which is one of a handful that I'm allowed to have upstairs.
Taliensis is throwing some new leaves which looks better than the mature leaves. There is some debate about whether this is the true taliensis (will the real taliensis please stand up?).
Here is a taliensis start from a leaf. This had several plantlets at the sinus but most dried up and fell off. Since then, I watered it well and it has put out new leaves at the sinus. It also has new pups coming up from the soil.
Here is an overhead shot of a tank of begonias (serratipetala, probably fischeri, 'Ginny', and others). Not a great picture but the idea is how the begonias filled the tank and are touching the light fixture.
The other side of the same tank has 'Orange Sherbert', 'Pollux', serratipetala crowding into this half, and 'Fiji Islands' is hidden below 'Pollux'.
'Proud Mary' is still blooming.
I think I like the new leaflets of 'Proud Mary' I started from a leaf better than the mature leaves.
Laurie, what is this?
Here is a community cup of U508 and crassicaulis, both started from leaves.
'Queen Olympus' and 'Two Face' look very much alike except that 'Two Face' is slightly larger and the underside is a deeper red (hence the name). Queen is on the left and both have some blemishes.
This is chloroneura (?) started from a leaf.
One of my cutting trays has chloroneura, a few soli-mutata plants, 'Texas Red Star', nelumbiifolia, and some others.
The front of the same tray has a couple of nelumbiifolia, 'Deco Daddy', 'Lalomie', 'Cowardly Lion', and crassicaulis with U508.
Another cutting tray with 'Caribbean Corsair', 'River Nile', 'Sir John Falstaff', heracleifolia, paleata, 'Suncana', 'Kismet', and others.
This is fascinating. The adult leaf is silver-grey and the juvenile leaves are pinkish. I can't remember what it is though.
Edited to say I found the parent plant and it is 'Sierra Mountain Mist'.
This message was edited Jan 4, 2007 11:08 AM
Rexes can look good in winter if they have the right spot. Another one of the very few allowed upstairs. This is supposed to be 'Lalomie'.
Martin's Mystery with the cookie jar lid removed for the picture.
'PHOE's Cleo' is getting ready to bloom.
Some big begonias. The one on the left is unknown (bought as crassicaulis from GHW, but obviously not!) but it is a keeper - it grows very thick stems and produces a lot of pups. The one on the right is nelumbiifolia and I've rooted 3 leaves from it so far. It is a very thirsty begonia. I guess it has to be with the big leaves.
One more for the road.... A close up of 'Shamus'.
An unbelieveable collection of Begonia's Butch. Love the chloroneura, Shamus,
Lalomie, and Martin's Mystery.
HOW MANY DO YOU HAVE??? Wow .... what a great collection!
Lin
be still my heart! Thanks Butch! I needed a fix!!! LOL.
your begonia above (I think your 8th photo down) might be U400 but cant say for sure. Thanks so much for sharing!!!!!!!
Thanks for the comments Jackie. Shamus, Martin's Mystery, and Lalomie are 3 of 5 that I have upstairs.
Lin, I probably have over 200 now but that is probably small compared to Laurie and others.
Laurie, I don't think that is u400. It is one you sent as a cutting. I wish I had taken a picture of the large leaves when I received it. The leaves are fairly thick and fuzzy. I propagated the largest leaf which took a while to put out some new leaves. Here it is:
It's likely one of the noid's that Cottage Gardens was selling this spring. They sold all of those beauties that were from Joan Coulot's collection. I bet if you email it to Paul T. he will know or can ask Joan. But I know which one you're referring to.
You really are doing a super job in your propagation!! Gonna have to have a chat with you about a trade for Proud Mary!! I got beat out on that on eBay!
'Joe Hayden' is one of the easiest to start from leaf. I placed a few leaves of JH in the pebble trays for experimentation. Here is one of the leaves among a few pots of begonias.
Here is the same leaf close up.
How about growing some cuttings in kitty litter buckets?
Does anyone know what this phenomenon is? It looks like cork on top of the leaf and it happens with this particular begonia on most of the leaves. The bloom was in the way but I didn't want to break it or cut it.
Three leaves of nelumbiifolia all started with no problem. The size of the new leaves indicates which was closest to the light. The one on the right is pushing the dirt up and was directly under the light while the one on the left has the smallest leaflets and was furtherest from the light.
I have a couple of pots where ferns have taken root. Here is one with a fat rhizome of 'Raspberry Crush'. I like that.
Another fern with a small rhizome of an unknown rex.
A new leaf on 'Black Velvet'. Hairy little booger!
This message was edited Jan 22, 2007 9:02 AM
'Deco Deviltry' is emerging.
Look at the colors on this! This is 'Last Laugh' from Rob's Violets. Speaking of - I ordered from Rob's, Logee's, and Plants for Kids. They all came in within two weeks. Logee's surprised me the most - the day I ordered, they sent a notice a few hours later that it was shipped. It was at my house in two days. WOW!
