Hi. I cant import plants due to my distant location. Btw, is there any nursery which has it? If someone could send me a cutting... Regards, Amer

This is a positively evil thread, LOL. Reading through all these posts prompted to me to purchase 'Pink Scentiment' and 'John Smith' earlier this spring, and I now have them both growing on my windowsill indoors. I have grown Begonia solananthera and 'Tea Rose' in the past. While they had very pleasant fragrances, they just never "wowed" me in the scent department, being far too soft and subtle. I thought the tuberhybrida begonia scents would be similarly soft and subtle. But I think I may have been wrong... Right now, I have buds on the 'John Smith'. One bud which is coloring up with an electric coral color but not really near to opening (I give it another week) is already exuding a fragrance! It is a *strong* delicious smell just like ripe sweet peaches or nectarines, maybe with a little rose thrown in. I am amazed, and my nose is very happy. This was an expensive bulb (from White Flower Farm) but it sprouted rapidly and it has been a vigorous grower from the start. The stem is extremely thick and beefy and the leaves are huge. The 'Pink Scentiment' is not nearly so vigorous compared to 'John Smith', but it also sprouted rapidly and has been growing steadily ever since. The stem is not as thick and it seems to be a very heavy brancher, as can be expected with a pendula type. Leaves are about half the size of 'John Smith' and there are no buds in sight yet. I can't wait to sample its scent later this summer once it is large enough to bloom. If I am successful with these two begonias, I will definitely want to seek out other fragrant tuberhybridas in the future.

Hey Motezuma, Sorry to hear you have no local stores to pick up some of these begonias. Ace is a big surprise. I found out about this one last year, then they went out of business. Then someone opened it up again earlier this year and begonias come in much slower than the previous owner. The price has also risen from $5 to $7 for a six inch hanging basket and from $10 to $12 for a 10 inch hanging basket. I think it is still a very good deal. Just wish they'd get them in a lot faster. Need my fix, if you know what I mean, seeing how you crave them. Shame is that most of the local stores practically close their greenhouse operations in winter. Gotta make room for the same old Xmas junk. You may just have to start ordering via mail. The mail order growers for the most part are slow, have very small plants (shipping costs?), and sometimes pricey (I have bought bunches through the mail that cost more than what I have shown above and come in 2.5 inch pots to boot, I wonder what they would charge for a ten incher - $50 or more?), but if you have to have it, then this can work for you. Not all stores are slow or pricey, but most will be on the small side. Even small ones can grow quickly provided you give them what they need. One more tip - if you ever travel to an area where one of these mail order places are, you should plan on stopping by for an hour or so. You should be able to get a good collection going this way. The plants should be a lot larger as well and the price modest. Butch

You are correct that a lot of the B. boliviensis hybrids are very similar. The first hybrid that became popular 'Bonfire' is still one of my favorites. I have gotten several 'Santa Cruz Sunset' plants from different sources that are slightly different so I do not know which one is 'Santa Cruz Sunset'. The Million Bell series had several different colors so that was new for B. boliviensis hybrids and now there are several different series with different flower colors. My 'Santa Cruz Sunset' plant and the Million Bells plant 'Devotion' are difficult to tell apart. The Million Kisses plant 'Amour' has foliage that is darker than any other B. boliviensis hybrid that I have found. Different suppliers are pushing different series. I haven't found any nurseries that carry plants from the different series.