New Hanging Tuberous Flowering Begonias 
By E. H, Wetterlow 
Gardener on Mrs. Lester Leland's Est., Manchester, Mass. 
I have been requested to give a general description and cultural 
notes of a new variety of Tuberous Flowering Begonias, which was 
exhibited by Mrs. Lester Leland at the North Shore Horticultural 
Exhibition held at Manchester, Mass. during the Convention of the 
Garden Club of America. 
This new type of Begonias to which much attention has been 
given in Germany and England, especially during the last ten years, is 
comparatively new in this country. So far as the writer knows, there 
are only about sixteen varieties in the trade to-day. 
The plants shown at the recent Exhibition were mostly seedlings 
raised on Mrs. Lester Leland's Estate during the last eight years, 
by crossing and re-crossing with the well-known tuberous rooted 
variety, using Alice Manning as the mother parent, with the result 
that after eight years of disappointments and care we have about 
fourteen American-raised seedlings. The flowers are single, semi- 
double and double types and in color they are of different shades. 
In the collection was also found one other variety of Tuberous 
Begonia which was not of the hanging kind, Frau Hellen Harms, 
and an orange seedling of the same type. 
Frau Hellen Harms, although yellow if grown under glass, will turn 
to a beautiful yeJlow-orange when planted outside. It grows 8-inches 
high, is a splendid grower and flowers profusely; as a pot plant for the 
house, conservatory and for planting in the garden it has no equal. 
There are other seedlings of this same type which in color range from 
white, deep pink, satin pink, light yellow, orange and red. 
Culture of Hanging Tuberous Begonias in Baskets or Pans 
The tubers may be started at any time during February, March 
or April in boxes about four inches deep. Care should be taken to 
give them plenty of good drainage, one inch of broken pots and some 
sphagnum moss placed in the bottom of the box. A compost of nice 
light soil, consising of one part of well-decayed leaf mould and one 
part of coarse sand is an ideal mixture to start them in. Care should 
be taken not to cover the tubers too much and to water very lightly 
until they start into growth. When about two inches high they are 
ready to transfer into baskets or pans. 
The size of baskets or pans should be in accordance with the size 
of the tubers. A pan 8 inches in diameter will be large enough for one 
bulb; a larger pan or basket lo inches in diameter is amply large for 
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