Good light is a necessity and blooming appears to 

 be related to day length. The few upright canes 

 which appear should be cut out to preserve the suit- 

 ability as a basket plant. 



The last couple of years has seen the introduction 

 of a few other varieties to the commercially-avail 

 able list. 'Lois Burks' is brilliant as a hanger, 

 laden with red-orange bloom from early 

 summer to frost. The attractively silver-spotted 

 "angel-wing" foliage is waxy deep green and prettily- 

 toothed. It can be grown to two feet across in a 10" 

 basket. 'Torch' is a relative new comer as well. An- 

 other low-growing cane, it has larger leaves than 

 'Lois Burks', smooth margins with a strong red re- 

 verse. Plenty of light and it blooms to frost. The 

 name indicates the bloom color — fiery red-orange. 



Rex begonias, while certainly not neglected by 

 commercial growers, are not promoted for any wide 

 range of use. Generally not considered as an out- 

 door plant, they do remarkably well in semi-shade 

 during summer. Most often available in 4" pots, 

 they are generally a "throw-away" because they re- 

 quire cooler temperatures and higher humidity than 

 the average home affords. A bit of effort to tailor 

 conditions to their requirements can result in spec- 

 tacular plants indoors. Hybrids from the 1880s are 

 still popular with hobbyists. 

 One whole group completely overlooked by the 

 commercial grower is the species semperflorens. Many 

 have interesting foliage, bloom profusely, and offer 



an exciting change from the more common hybrids. 

 Amongst these are the schmidtiana types — slightly 

 hairy leaves, strongly-veined, excellent as "different- 

 bedding plants, and very easy of culture 



The "wooly bear", B. subvillosa var leptotricha 

 grows as easily as any of the hybrid semps, has a 

 larger, waxy, light green leaf, heavily felted on the 

 reverse. This blooms generously with small white 

 blooms. B. subvillosa var subvillosa, grown for years 

 identified only by a collecting number, has small 

 leaves, so densely-haired as to be plush-like. The 

 hairs give the effect of a grey leaf, but in strong sun 

 develop a distinct reddish edge. Blooms heavily, 

 white to pale pink, and the plant will endure very 

 dry conditions. B. cucullata var arenosicola grows as 

 easily as any wax begonia — waxy, brilliant green fo- 

 liage, very free blooming with clusters of pinkish- 

 white flowers. This species should be widely-grown, 

 and would seem to present excellent potential for 

 hybridizing. It makes a mound about 18" tall and as 

 broad. 



This may suggest to you that the commercial 

 grower is really missing something. 1 hope it whets 

 your appetite. If you would like further information 

 as to sources, or other varieties which may have 

 commercial merit, feel free to contact the writer. 

 Frank Green, author of this article, is president of 

 the Buxton Branch of the American Begonia Society, 

 and may be reached at 20 Cross Street, Fitchburg, 

 MA 01420. ^ 



GRIFFIN 



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