226 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
June, 1909 
The Begonia 
By Eben E. Rexford 
ZEW plants are 
more. orna- 
mental than 
some varieties 
of the bego- 
nia when they 
are well- 
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ua > 
= 
ce 
grown. But as generally grown 
few plants are more unattrac- 
tive. Nine out of ten, in the 
living-room windows, will be 
lanky, awkward and half leaf- 
less. What few leaves they 
have will lack healthy color, 
and give the impression that 
the plant on which they grow 
is so nearly starved to death 
that it is impossible for it to 
fully develop its foliage. Such 
a specimen, however, will live 
on indefinitely. The fact is, 
the begonia is a plant with 
more inherent vital force than 
most plants adapted to window 
culture, and it will respond 
readily to good treatment, and 
soon become a “thing of beauty”’ 
long as it is treated well. 
The man or woman who has success in growing plants 
is often called into consultation by those who fail to grow 
them well, and when the begonia is the subject of diagnosis 
it almost always develops that lack of proper soil and good 
drainage is responsible for failure. When I have been 
called in “to see what the matter is” with my neighbors’ 
begonias I have generally found them in heavy, soggy, sour 
soil. Inquiry has elicited the fact that little, if any, pro- 
vision was made for drainage when the plant was potted. 
Water has been given irregularly, and without any investi- 
gation as to the condition 
of the soil. The result, 
quite naturally, has been 
diseased roots, and the won- 
der is that the plant did not 
die long ago. Only the 
strong constitution of the 
plant pulled it through. 
Once in a while, however, 
we come upon fine, healthy 
specimens which it is a 
pleasure to look at, with 
scores of perfectly de- 
veloped leaves, no bare 
stalks, and a symmetry of 
shape which makes _ the 
plant equally attractive 
from all sides. Such a 
plant is an ornament to any 
window, and its owner has 
a right to be proud of it. 
It is an easy matter to 
grow good begonias if one 
that will be “‘a joy” 
Begonia templinii 
Begonias in fine variety 
goes at it in the right way. 
Soil is a most important item. 
It should be light and porous; 
never heavy and compact. One 
part garden loam, one part 
leaf mold or vegetable matter, 
obtained by scraping away the 
lower portions of sward, con- 
taining the roots of the grass, 
and one part sand, will grow 
this plant to perfection, pro- 
vided good drainage is given, 
and water is supplied in proper 
quantities at the right time. 
The aim should always be to 
keep the soil moist, but never 
wet, and great care must be 
taken to apply water before 
the soil becomes dry. The 
begonia has many small feed- 
ing roots, and these suffer 
severely if the soil in which 
they are is not kept moist. Un- 
less drainage is what it ought 
to be, water may collect in the 
bottom of the pot, and this 
causes the soil above to become sour, and a sour soil almost 
always brings on a diseased condition of roots. Never be 
satisfied with less than two inches of drainage material in 
the pots in which your begonias are grown. It is well to 
put a layer of aphagnum moss over this material before 
filling in the soil to prevent the latter from washing down 
and closing the crevices in it. Give a plant perfect drainage 
and there is never any danger from overwatering. 
Begonias are seldom attacked by any insect. This is a 
strong argument in their favor. Nearly all varieties have 
attractive foliage. Some varieties have leaves that are really 
magnificent in form and color. Many kinds have flowers 
quite as beautiful as their 
foliage. There are so many 
really desirable varieties 
that the amateur is puzzled 
to make a selection from 
the long list. Perhaps I 
may be able to simplify this 
matter by mentioning a few 
of the kinds I consider best 
adapted to amateur use. 
Argentea guttala is of 
strong, upright habit, free- 
growing and many-branched 
Its leaves are olive green, 
spotted thickly with silvery 
white on the upper surface. 
Below, they are a dark red. 
Manicata aurea variegata 
has very large foliage of 
thick, waxy texture, ground 
color dark, glossy green, 
irregularly blotched with 
creamy white and yellow. 
