14 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
October31, 1909 
BEGONIA GRANDIFLORA ERECTA CRISTATA. 
Description of Fiswerss 
“May be Sown during this Month. 
Begonias. 
There are several distinet groups of 
Begonias, most of which will thrive in 
the open in this State. The shrubby 
species flower at all times of the year, and 
include a large number of species and 
varieties, among ‘the latter being the 
beautiful ‘Gloire des Sceaux.’ The 
ornamental-leaved group, of which B. 
Rex is the type, includes many hand- 
some-leaved varieties, and the tuberous 
group, which are treated as green-house 
plants. 
Begonias have been init improved 
of late years, and as they are admirably 
adapted for the green-house as well as for 
planting out in warm districts in sheltered 
positions, and are easy to grow, no lover 
of horticulture should neglect them. 
As pot plants they require considerable 
attention in the matter of repotting, 
. They thrive in ordinary compost made 
open with plenty of sand. ‘The seed may 
“be sown on the surface of well-drained 
pots or pans of such loam, and subjected 
to a heat of 65 deg. Fahr., 
require much water. 
They do not 
In a littls over a 
_ week the seedlings will appear, though it 
will require close examination to detect 
them. The seedlings should be pricked 
off at once, owing to their liability to 
damp off if at all crowded. Get a quan- 
tity of soil consisting of leaf-mould and 
sandy loam in equal quantities, half fill a 
32-sized pot with crocks, and fill to within 
one inch of the rim with soil, gently 
pressing it to give a level surface. Get a 
little stick, point it at one end, and make 
a V-shaped slit at the other; then make 
a small hole in the soil with the pointed 
end, loosen the soil round the seedling a 
little, insert the slit of the stick under 
the seed-ieaves ; then lift it out and place 
it in the hole already prepared, press the 
soil gently round it, and continue to 
"follow the same routine until you have 
about forty of the tiny plants distributed 
at even distances over the surface of the 
soil. Cover the pot with a pane of glass, 
and remove the glass by degrees as the 
plants begin to progress, taking care to 
shade them from strong sun, as glaring 
sun heat is most injurious, causing the 
tender leaves to turn yellow, ang finally 
to drop off. 
The soil for Begonias must be of a 
light and porous nature, Do not use 
peat if you can obtain leaf-mould, ail 
Jet the loam be of a sandy and ana 
nature, Once place your seedlings in a 
stiff soil, the roots cease to work, and a 
check ensues, from which they seldom 
recover, 
Do not bed the plants out until about 
the end of December. They May seem 
small to you, but it is astonishing how 
they will grow in their new quarters, for 
in about six weeks they will be a mass of 
glistening foliage and vivid color. 
If planted in a sheltered and Somewhat 
shady position they will continue to 
bloom until the winter frosts cut down 
their stems. 
Wait till the stems are quite withered, 
or till they have dropped from the tuber, 
and then carefully lift the latter with a 
little soil adhering to them. Do not 
_ clean the tuber, as so often recommended, 
even the most careful hand wil] some- 
times bruise it, and then decay wil] get 
in during the winter. 
Begonias are invaluable for he 
decoration of the green-house or eon- 
servatory, where they produce a magnifi- 
cent and dazzling display. Their 
handsome large flowers, often Measuring 
4 inches in diameter, are of the most 
brilliantly varied and deticately beautiful 
shades, from the purest white to the 
deepest crimson, including yellow, bronze 
rose, and other intermediate shades. The 
tuberous-rooted Begonias are algo 
eminently adapted for bedding, 
Occasionally double tuberous Begonias 
bear both double and single flowers, 
which is easily accounted for. If the 
grower will observe the flowers of his 
single-flowered plants he will find that 
they are of two kinds—pistillate and 
staminate. Now, in the double-flowered 
plants the staminate flowers will be 
double, because the stamens have turned 
to petals, while the pistillate will remain 
as they are upon the single-flowered — 
plants. 
There are no tuberous Begonias 
that bear all double flowers. They all 
vary in bloom as described. 
