Begonia 



(115) 



Belamcanda 



grove. Dr. Jameson, Lady Hampden, La France, 

 Marion Crawford. Pink Perfection, and Rose Laing. 



II '/lite and Jilusli. Alba plena, camelliseflora, 

 Calliope, Duchess of Fife, Picotee, Octavie, Lady 

 White (p. 113), Lord Roberts (p. 113), Mrs. Tweedie 

 (p. 1 12), and Yirginalis. 



Yellme. Aurora, Duchess of Albany, Lady Emily 

 Dyke. Miss Falconer, Mine, la Baronne de St. 

 Didier, and Rev. E. Lascelles. 



Selection of Single Tuberous Begonias : 

 I'rinison. Beacon, Firefly. Grant Allen, King of 



the Begonias, Sir Trevor Lawrence, and W. E. 



Gladstone. 



(Irnni/i- Scarlet. Frank Beadle, Hero of Oruclur- 

 man, .lardin des Plantes, Mr. Cockburn, Mrs. H. G. 

 Murray Stuart, and Prince of Orange. 



/';. Duchess of Westminster, Lady Henry 

 Grosvenor, Mrs. L. Lunt, Mrs. L. Morton, Salmonea, 

 and Starlight. 



HIIKI' and Pi nli. Delight. Exquisite, Miss 

 Cannell, Miss Deciina Moore, Rose Perfection, and 

 Queen of Roses. 



II '/i Hi- (in /I Jilnsli. Miss Masters, Nelly Pritchard, 

 Purity. Snowdrift, Snowstorm, and The Lady. 



Yi'/lnir. Gloriosum, Jealousy, Lady Lawrence, 

 Primrose, Queen of Yellows, and Sunshine. 



Bedding Varieties. First-rate bedding varieties, 



diftVrii:^ IV the modern florists' types in having 



smaller leaves and smaller flowers of a more or 

 less pendent habit, are Vesuvius, worthiana, Lselia, 

 Phosphorescens, and Madame Lamarclie, all bright, 

 free flowering, remarkably attractive, and con- 

 sidered by many to be more elegant than the 

 stiffer, larger flowered, erect growing strains. 



(5) WINTER FLOWERING. 



Description. Rapid as was the rise of the 

 tubc-roiis Uegonia, that of the winter flowering 

 P.eu-onia has been still quicker. Year by year the 

 need for subjects to flower during our long dull 

 winter increases, and as a consequence the florist 

 has turned his attention to Begonias. The dis- 

 covery of Begonia socotrana by Prof. Balfour 

 in 1880, led to the creation of a distinct race of 

 plant- that flower from October onwards; the 

 species itself flowers at midwinter, and retains its 

 flowers until they wither. Crossed with tuberous 

 Uegniiias it has produced plants of stronger 

 growth, easier culture, and with larger, brighter 

 flowers. Crossed with lynchiana, and more par- 

 lieularly with Dregei, by M. Lemoine, it has given 

 among other fine plants the at present immensely 

 popular Gloire de Lorraine, a hybrid that has 

 already given several colour sports. 



Propagation is best effected by cuttings of young 

 growtli taken from early started plants, these 

 rooting readily in very sandy soil if placed in a 

 close frame in a propagating house. After the 

 first potting an elevated stage must be provided, 

 for weakly, drawn growth means failure. In most 

 cases it is desirable to pinch the growths twice 

 during the season, and advantage may be taken of 

 this to still further increase the stock. Over- 

 potting is prejudicial, and nothing larger than a 

 i" pot is necessary. Rich loam and sand are 

 sufficient for compost, but should the loam be 

 heavy or poor, then leaf soil or dried cow manure 

 must be added. Those hybrids having a tuberous 

 Begonia as one parent are all the better if they 

 receive an abundance of air (not draughts) from 

 June to September; indeed, they may be treated as 

 warm greenhouse plants during that period. The 



other section requires warmer treatment the year 

 through. A comparatively dry atmosphere through 

 the flowering season helps the flowers to retain 

 their freshness over a long period. 



Other Cultural Points. Although only pro- 

 ducing annual stems, these Begonias do not 

 possess a tuberous root in the ordinary sense of 

 the term, but have a rootstock much influenced 

 by socotrana, in which it takes the form of a 

 cluster of fleshy buds. This being so, none of the 

 hybrids will accommodate themselves to the 

 "drying off" system as practised with the true 

 tuberous section, but on the other hand they must 

 be -rested by having the water supply reduced, so 

 that these pseudo-tuberous roots are kept plump. 

 The group also resents being rested in a cool house 

 Plenty of light, unchecked growth, and liberal 

 feeding by means of liquid manure, are the three 

 chief points in cultivating the winter flowering 

 Begonias. An intermediate temperature must be 

 provided, and a moderately moist atmosphere 

 afforded until late autumn. Both thrips and 

 green fly, the former especially, will tax the 

 grower's efforts to keep them at bay, though in 

 these days of vaporising as opposed to fumigation 

 there should be no fear of harm, provided the pre- 

 ventive is applied at frequent intervals. 



For table decoration few plants are so charming 

 during winter as small examples in 3" pots, from 

 late struck cuttings, of Begonia John Heal or 

 Adonis, each witli a few rose or carmine flowers 

 that are seen at their best under artificial light. 

 In a larger way a fine example of Gloire de 

 Lorraine dropped into a silver vase is extremely 

 effective. It must be remembered that the semper- 

 florens group of Begonias, with fuchsioides, 

 weltoniensis, ascotiensis, Ingramii, and Carrier!, 

 are all useful for flowering in winter. Take 

 cuttings in February and pot on as necessary, 

 treating them pretty much the same as fibrous- 

 rooted varieties in pots, keeping them in cool 

 frames during the summer, but housing them early 

 in autumn. 



Principal Species. Hybrids, and Varieties : 



Adonis, 1J', Nov., Jan., John Heal, 1', Nov., 



car. Jim., ro. car. 



Caledonia, 1', Oct., Mch., Julius, IV, Nov.. Dec., ro. 



wh. Mrs. Leopold de Roth- 



Carrieri, 1J', Oct., Mch., schilil, 1', Oct., Mch., 



wh. ro. 



corallina, 3', Oct., Jan., Moonlight, 15", wh. (see 



coral red. p. 114). 



Eusign, iy, Nov., Dec., semperflorens gigantea, 



red. 2 , Sep., Mch., red. 



fuchsioides, 6', Sep., Dec., socotrana, 1', Dec., Jan., 



sc. ro. 



Gloire de Lorraine, 1', weltouiensis, 1.',', Nov., 



Oct., Mch., ro. pk. 



GloiredeSceaux,3', Nov., Winter Cheer, 1', Nov., 



Jan., pk. Dec., sc. 



Ingramii, 1}', Oct., Dec., Winter Gem, 1J', Nov., 



ro. Dec., car. 



BELAMCANDA. 



A cool greenhouse, bulbous plant (ord. Iridese), 

 requiring similar treatment to that afforded Ixias, 

 which see. 



Principal Species : 



chinensis,'2', My., Je., yel., red (,/,?. Pardanthus 

 and Ixia chinensis). 



llejaria (see Ilefaria). 

 lielantheria (see lirillantaisia). 



