Mabch 2, 1905. 



The Weekly Florists^ Review* 



8)5 



THE BEGONIAS: 



A Most Interesting Family. 



There is no more interesting class of 

 plants, either for the amateur or pro- 

 fessional florist, than this large genus. 

 It embraces hundreds of species, besides 

 thousands of varieties. Begonias are 

 roughly divided into four sections as 

 follows: Fibrous rooted or shrubby, old 

 Fuchsioides being a good type of these; 

 semi-tuberous, of which the now fa- 

 mous Grioire de Lorraine is an example; 

 the true tuberous-rooted, summer flower- 

 ing, and the well known Eex section, 

 which is grown almost solely as an or- 

 namental foliage plant. The Tyriter can 

 well remember, about 1857, a small 

 plant of the Eex begonia being pur- 

 chased in liondon with two leaves. The 

 price was about $5 per leaf. We have 

 since sold thousands at 10 cents a plant. 

 The above division is quite rough, for 

 there have been such innumerable crosses 

 between the many species that it would 

 be difficult to determine to which section 

 many belong. Semperflorens is classed 

 with the shrubby, but is very different 

 from, sav. inearnata, for it flowers more 

 precociously and freely as a summer 

 bedding plant. 



The Foliage Section. 



The Eex species, containing hundreds 

 of varieties, is little grown by commer- 

 cial florists, although some years ago 

 we used it largely in veranda boxes, 

 where little snn reached thrm, and few 

 j)lants that thrive in the shade made s\ 

 - finer or more refined appearance. Pro- 

 pagated by the leaf or section of the 

 leaf in aarly fall, good plants in 4-in(''i 

 or 5-ineh pots can be obtained by the 

 following May It is, however,, in the 

 ]irivate conservatory or hothouse where 

 large plants show their value and beauty. 

 We have also noticed in the window of 

 many a cottage a fine thrifty plant of 

 Bex begonia. 



^ The Bedding Begonias. 



The tuberous-rooted begonias arc not 

 used as generally as a bedding plant, as 

 they deserve in our northern states. It 

 may be true that in the hot summers 

 of the middle and southern states they 

 are a failure, but in the northern Atlan- 

 tic states they make a glorious show. 

 Careful and frequent watering of the 

 bed is the great requisite. Grown in 

 B-inch or 7-ineh pots, they make most 

 beautiful flowering plants, but unfortu- 

 nately they are in their glory at a sea- 

 son (July, August and September) when 

 the conservatory is little appreciated 

 and they cannot be recommended as good 

 window plants, for they soon drop their 

 flowers. For bedding plants we start the 

 one-year-old bulbs about April. 



"Winter-Flowering Section. 



The semi-tuberous section iff best 

 known by the species Socotrana. These 

 form a scaly bulb, but do not lose all 

 their fibrous roots when resting, which 

 is in summer, flowering in winter. So- 

 cotrana is one of the parents of Gloire 

 de Lorraine. Several experts have re- 



cently written on the ctiltivation of this 

 splendid begonia. Although many have 

 failed with it, its requirements are sim- 

 ple when well understood. At the St. 

 Louis convention Mr. Peterson read a 

 pg,per on our popular flowering plants 

 and his directions for growing Lorraine 

 were most simple and explicit and from 

 his success it may be concluded that his 

 methods are up-to-date and correct. 

 There was scarcely ever a plant which 

 rose so quickly and universally into 

 popular favor as Gloire de Lorraine and 

 its waning is not likely to be soon. And 

 who can foretell what wonderful vari- 

 eties are yet in store for us, to be 

 given us by the skillful and enthusiastic 

 specialists? They will be sure to come, 

 if some have not already arrived. 



The Semperflorens Type. 



The semperflorens type, which I called 

 •A sub-section of the shrubby, are most 

 useful plants for the flower garden. 

 They are Amderfully free flowered. This 

 class includes^ernon and Erfordii. The 

 latter makes a most beautiful flower 

 bed, even in the broad sun. There are 



noticed in a window. They are success- 

 ful plants and thrive, or most of them 

 do, in the dry atmosphere of a living 

 room. They root at almost any season 

 of the year, but the florist will flnd 

 March and April a good time to root the 

 cuttings, which are the ends of shoots 

 not too soft. We never found bottom 

 heat in the sand an essential in rpoting 

 these shrubby begonias and they do not 

 need to be kept more than just moist. 



'In this section there is a most diversi- 

 fied form of flower, foliage and habit. 

 The greatest curse to the winter-flower- 

 ing begonia is too much shade during 

 summer. It is true they won't flourish 

 under glass in the broiling sun, especial- 

 ly if they are cramped for pot room, 

 but on the other hand, too much shade 

 and humidity is the chief cause of the 

 rust which ruins such sorts as inear- 

 nata. I recently recommended that this 

 useful plant be plunged outdoors during 

 the summer months and a private gar- 

 dener showed me flne plants of it a few 

 days ago and said he planted them out 

 in the open ground in June and lifted 

 them in September. A deep frame, 

 where they could be plunged and shaded 

 with cheese-cloth during the hottest 

 hours, would be my ideal for many of 

 the shrubby begonias during summer. 



Some Desirable Flowering Sorts. 



The few desirable varieties mentioned 

 below have no pretense to be the latest 

 or even the best, for the writer, like 

 many another florist, haa grown but a 



Group of Begonia Semperflorens Gigantea Rosea. 



many other varieties of this type, use- 

 ful for garden and greenhouse. They 

 root readily from cuttings, but for bed- 

 ding purposes sow the seed in December 

 and transplant as they need the room. 



Good Subjects for Dwellings. 



The section that the commercial flo- 

 rist most neglects is the shrubby or win- 

 ter-flowering varieties. Too many of 

 them you don't want but they sell read- 

 ily in late fall and winter as good-sized 

 single plants, and they are undoubtedly 

 good plants for the dwelling house. 

 Many a fine plant of manicata we have 



few kinds of late. I found growing re- 

 cently at the greenhouses of Mr. George 

 Urban, of Pine Ridge, near Buffalo, the 

 followmg and in most attractive state: 

 Inearnata Sandersii, a great improve- 

 ment on inearnata grandiflora, large 

 panicles and stout growth, abundant 

 flowers of a coral pink; Haageana, very 

 large, rosy pink flowers, handsome fol- 

 iage; Nightingale, large pink panicles, 

 green foliage; Thurstoni, handsome fol- 

 iage, rich pi;rple red beneath, flowers 

 not conspicuous; Mme. de Lesseps, strong 

 grower with large clusters of white 

 flowers; metallica, most distinct and at- 



