BEGONIA FAMILY — Begoniaceae 
Tuberous Begonias and How to Grow Them. Tuberous Begonias are 
wonderfully attractive plants for pots and baskets or in the garden. Their 
popularity is modern and results from recent improvements of their flowers 
in color, size and form and the great increase in the number of types offered. 
Begonias respond generously to the skill of the hybridizer and take on the 
forms and closely imitate the flowers of Camellias, Carnations, etc. 
The flowers of Begonias are monoecious. This means that the individual 
flowers are not perfect—containing both male and female parts but that there 
are male and female flowers, separately produced on the same plant. The 
large terminal flower is a male with a stamen. On each side is a smaller 
female flower with pistil and ovary. If one wishes to produce seed, the pollen 
from the stamen is placed on the terminal stigma. Even an amateur can 
produce interesting forms by crossing the types. Seedlings may be grown 
on a thin layer of sifted compost on top of a porous brick and the brick 
set into a shallow pan of water. Or place seed on the surface of wet peat in 
a pot and cover with glass. Watering of plants when necessary must be done 
by setting pot in tepid water. When large enough, seedlings may be picked up 
by a toothpick and potted into 2” pots of peat. Continue to water by setting 
pots in a pan of tepid water. 
If Tub. Begonias are potted at once when received they must be watered 
very little until they start to grow. The better practice is to start them by 
laying the tubers on top of slightly moist sphagnum. They may be covered 
just slightly, with the concave side containing the “eyes” only partly hidden. 
Keep them only slightly moist at a temperature of 60° to 65°, shaded. 
When the top is an inch or more in height it may be removed with a bit 
of the compost into its pot or basket. The practice of merely storing the 
tubers and potting them when they start to grow is good. The heated, dry air 
of a living room is a poor place to store the tubers, to start them or to grow 
plants. 
The soil for Tub. Begonias may be % humus and %4 sand or very sandy 
loam. For the humus use *% peat or leaf mould and 1% well rotted, old dairy 
manure. All should be well mixed and fine in texture. Soil should be acid, 
pH 6.5. If not sufficiently acid, add more peat. The addition of small pieces 
of charcoal or a tablespoonful of soot is useful. The ‘Houdyshel method” 
for potting and growing, as described under Caladiums, is good. 
Varied diet for all plants is best. Alternate Spoonit, liquid manure and 
soot water, handful to 2% gal. water, is a good regime. Begonias are good 
feeders. Feed little and often. Spray plants well, daily. They need only half 
Shade, a cool moist situation. Avoid full sun or full shade. It is best to shift 
to outdoors when warm. The tubers usually live over winter in So. Calif., 
but it is better to dig, dry and store here, and necessary in colder climates. 
The best Tuberous Begonias are grown by. two famous Capitola, Calif., 
wholesale nurseries. Flowers of their origination were illustrated in color 
on five full pages of Life Magazine on Sept. 18, 1950. Note the gorgeous 
illustrations of Red Triumph, Sunset, and Picotee. The tubers we sell are 
the product of these nurseries. Imported bulbs produce very poor flowers, 
smaller and only semi double. We Sell the best size, 1%”-14%” diam. for 5” 
pots. The size of the flowers does not depend on size of tubers but this size 
makes smaller plants than the 2” tubers. Our named varieties, Red Triumph, 
etc., are large tubers and if not to be shifted to outdoors will need 7” pots. 
It is easy to shift to larger pots if they grow too large. The Lloydi type 
should be planted 3 to an 8” wire basket. 
Giant Double Camellia Flowered. Offered in 11 colors. White, Pink, Rose, 
Crimson Rose, American Beauty, Yellow, Apricot, Salmon, Orange, Scarlet, 
Red. Price 30c ea. $3.00/doz., one var. or assorted. The 11 var. in one bag 
for $3.00. 
Giant Double Carnation Flowered. This type is similar but has fringed 
petals. The flowers are like huge carnations. 9 colors, white, pink, rose, 
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