34 



THE FLORISTS MANUAL. 



Saundersonii, bushy and always bear 

 ing flowers. 



Haageana, handsome foliage, large 

 rosy pink. 



Nightingale, green foliage, large pink 

 panicles. 



tea rosea and it is in flower about the 

 whole year. Semperflorens varieties are 

 most numerous, are easily raised from 

 seed and their flowers borne so constantly 

 and profusely are from pure white 

 through all shades of pink to scarlet. 



Begonia Gilsoni. 



A bed of Erfordii in the broad sun we 

 will not soon forget. Its dark bronzy 

 foliage and deep pink flowers and splen 

 did compact habit made it as handsome 

 as any geranium bed and far more in 

 teresting. Undoubtedly they are fine 

 bedding plants and should be used more 

 extensively. 



They all root easily from cuttings, 

 but for bedding plants sow seed in No 

 vember or December, transplant into 

 flats as soon as large enough to handle, 

 and later into 2% or 3-inch pots. 



Tuberous-rooted Section. 



The tuberous-rooted section comes 

 from the cooler parts of South America 

 and is very distinct from the shrubby 

 sorts. They are entirely deciduous. They 

 make fine bedding plants as well as 

 splendid pot plants for the greenhouse 

 from June to October. As a window 

 plant they are not to be commended, 

 soon dropping their showy petals. It 

 is as a bedding plant they are chiefly 

 valuable. When I say that I have seen 

 in our city large beds of these begonias 

 surpassing in brilliancy of color, and cer 

 tainly in variety, any bed of geraniums, 

 it must be recognized as a good bedding 

 plant. The cooler the summer the bet 

 ter they do and in localities where the 

 heat is excessive they may not be de 

 sirable. 



They are easily raised from seed, 

 which should be sown in January or 

 February. The seed of all begonias is 

 very minute and no covering of the seed 

 with soil can be done. Water the soil 



Thurstonii, under side leaves rich pur 

 ple red, flowers not conspicuous. 



Manicata and its variegated form are 

 scarcely shrubby, but they have hand 

 some foliage and profusely send up their 

 strong erect stems of pink blossoms. 

 There are several other most desirable 

 kinds of the manieata type. 



Rex Type. 



These are grown entirely for their 

 very handsome foliage. We have used 

 them largely in veranda boxes in shady 

 situation, but to see them at their best 

 they should be in large pots or pans in a 

 warm shaded conservatory. They like 

 a more humid atmosphere than any other 

 class of begonias. 



Well matured leaves should be cut up 

 in November or as soon as you have 

 good oottom heat in the sand (a stout 

 piece of midrib should be with each sec 

 tion) and insert one inch in the propa 

 gating bed. Keep the sand moderately 

 moist and in six or seven weeks small 

 leaves will start from base of cuttings. 

 Pot into 2%-inch pots using a light soil 

 with sand and leaf-mold. If the young 

 plants are kept at a temperature of 60 

 degrees they will make good useful 

 plants by end of May. 



Semperflorens Class. 



Some of these are tall, robust plants, 

 others like the Vernon type are dwarf 

 and very free flowering. The former is 

 well represented by Semperflorens gigan- 



Group of Begonia Semperflorens Gigantea Rosea. 



The dwarf Semperflorens Vernon type 

 are splendid bedding plants. This may 

 not be the case in the hotter and dryer 

 parts of the country but in the north 

 eastern states we can bear witness to 

 their great excellence for this purpose. 



in the pan well before sowing and then 

 sow on the surface, covering the pan with 

 a pane of glass till the seed germinates. 

 When large enough to handle prick out 

 the seedlings into flats, keeping them 

 on a light shelf, and when grown so as 



