82 THE TUBEROUS BEGONIA. 



dressed with good loam, mud, spit manure, or anything of a rich alluvia, 

 nature, as before stated. 



Set the plants out in the usual way, with the crown of the bulbs not more 

 than 2 or 3 inches beneath the surface, and press the soil round the ball 

 firmly, leaving the surface somewhat rough. It is perhaps as well, before 

 planting, to slightly break the ball, or at least loosen it round the sides with 

 a pointed piece of stick, especially should the roots be at all matted, but 

 this ought not to be the case. The soil must be kept moderately moist after 

 planting is done, and if hot weather should set in, and the plants are small, 

 watering must be regularly attended to, at least until the roots have pene- 

 trated to the damper stratum beneath the surface. In the open air Begonias 

 are never troubled with the damping off that so often occurs under glass, 

 and when necessary a good soaking in the evening of hot days will refresh 

 them wonderfully. Use a rosed pot, and give a heavy shower overhead, 

 leaving everything dripping ; when the blooms are half closed, as they are 

 in the evening, it will not hurt them in the least. Like many other sub- 

 jects, should the weather prove cold or very dry after they are put out, they 

 will probably appear to stand still for a time, but a warm shower or two 

 will give them a start, and the beds will, shortly be perhaps not a blaze, 

 but will give a constant succession of bright and beautiful blossoms. "When 

 in bloom, seed-pods are produced in great abundance, and as these rob the 

 plants of a large amount of strength, they should, as far as possible, be 

 regularly removed. 



The best position for a bed of Begonias is in an open and sunny spot, 

 for, like all succulent-natured subjects, they are a sun-loving race ; but 

 they will succeed more or less well in most positions that are not too heavily 

 shaded. A row or two on a warm south border is usually a great success, 

 and on raised positions, such as rockwork, on old stumps, and the like, they 

 do well, provided the soil is fairly good and can be kept moist. 



ARRANGEMENT OF THE PLANTS. 



WHEN planted out of doors Tuberous Begonias can scarcely fail to look well, 

 arrange them how you will. A. bed of good mixed colours, ordinary seedlings, 

 has usually a very fine effect, but the habit of seedlings varies so much that 

 unless they are selected as to height the previous season, there is danger of 

 great irregularity in this respect. As a rule the orange-scarlet shades, and 

 some of the duller and coarser pink and red-flowering kinds run tall in 

 growth, some of these being very rampant. The richer scarlets, deep reds 

 and crimsons, especially of the newer and more improved classes, are often 

 very robust, but much more compact and branching in habit than the last. 

 Whites vary greatly ; some (especially the commoner kinds and those with 

 pink-tinted blooms) are very coarse and long in growth, but a really good 



