The Country Geiiilcmans Magazine 



299 



^he dariien. 



SOME FLOWERING BEGONIAS. 



HOW few amateurs, or in fact, gardeners 

 either, know or care for these beau- 

 tiful plants, which are so peculiarly suited to 

 make our plant houses gay and decorate our 

 dwelling apartments during the dullest por- 

 tion of the year. I can only account for the 

 general apathy exhibited towards this genus, 

 in the fact of the word Begonia being old 

 and familiar, whilst latterly anything pos- 

 sessing the (oftentimes) delusive charm of 

 novelty have been first favourites. In spite 

 of this, however, the Messrs. Veitch & 

 Sons, of Chelsea, have been persistent 

 lovers of this family of plants, and during the 

 past few years have introduced many new 

 and beautiful species, and have also been 

 busily hybridising at home. The result of 

 these labours they now offer to their fellow 

 horticulturists, and the attractions of these 

 fresh forms are steadily, I believe, curing many 

 patients from the disease which I call Be- 

 gonia-blindness, and which has been so 

 prevalent for some years. Of this I am cer- 

 tain, that all those who discard these plants 

 from their collections are depriving them- 

 selves of some of the brightest and best 

 winter-blooming plants in the whole vege- 

 table kingdom. 



Begonias are not only extremely beautiful, 

 but are amongst the easiest to grow of any 

 plants with which I am acquainted \ they re- 

 quire no extra amount of skill in their 

 management, and thus may fairly be said to 

 be within the reach of all and every one posses- 

 sing the accommodation of a cool stove. In- 

 deed I well remember the first Begonia I ever 

 knew. It was a plant of the fine old B. dis- 

 color, which my grandmother, who was a 

 keen gardener in her day, used to grow in 



her best parlour window. Think of this, de- 

 spairing amateurs ! 



I must admit I do not think many of the 

 flowering kinds could be managed success- 

 fully all the year round in a window, yet I 

 am quite sure most of them will stand a long 

 time in flower in the dwelling-house ; indeed, 

 as they should always be cut back after 

 flowering, it is really of little consequence, 

 even though the foliage becomes a little 

 damaged. 



Begonias are widely distributed over the 

 globe, being found in both the East and 

 West Indies, in various parts of Africa, 

 Mexico, on the Continent of South America, 

 as well as the adjacent islands, but with the 

 exception of some few species, which are 

 natives of Western Tropical Africa, they 

 generally aff'ect high regions. This is a fact 

 worth the notice of the amateur, because it 

 is a sure sign that they may be grown in a 

 comparatively low temperature. I have had 

 them to grow well and flower profusely in a 

 temperature ranging from 50 to 60 deg. of 

 fire heat. Of course in summer the ther- 

 mometer will run up considerably higher 

 with sun heat, but that is of no consequence 

 providing a moist atmosphere is maintained 

 with a due proportion of air ; at the same time 

 the plants must be sheltered from the direct 

 rays of the sun. In potting be sure that the 

 drainage is good and efl"ective, and for soil 

 use a mixture of peat, loam, and thoroughly 

 decomposed manure in about equal parts, 

 adding a portion of silver or sharp river sand. 

 They enjoy a liberal supply of water to their 

 roots, and a moist atmosphere when grow- 

 ing, but I have invariably found that they 

 do better if not syringed over head, therefore 



