Do you have any tips for caring for a small eyelash begonia?

Thank you!

The stark contrast between the red parent plant and it's green sport is amazing. What a difference!

How did the trip go Butch? Did you find all the begonias to bring back that you wanted? Also, what is the function that you needed the begonias for? A show and sale for your ABS chapter? I'm sorry I missed you this trip, I hope it was a good one. What places were you able to visit?

Tamo is an amazing begonia, my main plant is over two feet tall and showing no sign of slowing down. Love the very dark leaves. My friend in Kentucky said she thought she received it from you, she sent a plant to me. ABS website lists it as trailing/scandent, which can't be right. Maybe thick-stemmed. Sure is an easy grower, I'll post a pic tomorrow.

Russ

Hey Russ,

I stopped by Rick Schoellhorn's place in Alachua on Sunday (May 15) on my way to Orlando. He is testing begonias in the landscape at his six acre spread. A lot of them looked great while others were having a rough time. He does not want to do containers except very large containers. I was duly impressed. He also told me to check PHOE before I went down on Monday because he thought they had closed their doors. Good thing I listened to him because he was right. I checked the orchid garden around West Palm Beach for an alternate and it closed its doors as well. Old Florida must be disappearing?

I've been going to Orlando for 9 years now for our annual sale. We still have some leftover and I am babysitting those in the basement under lights. I hope by putting them on sale week by week that they will all be sold in short time.

I never owned Tamo so your friend in KY must've gotten it from someone else. Is her name Shirley?

May was a busy month for me concerning begonias - trip to Dallas Mother's Day weekend, trip to Orlando the next weekend, sale the next weekend, and up to TN to help my mother out in the yard (no begonia work even though she has a small collection from me). Now I just need to get the rest of my begonias outdoors which should take a 2 to 3 days.

Can't post a photo using IE for some reason on the GW. So Firefox to the rescue.

A few I bought for myself - a lot of these photos are of mother plants they were selling so extra large size.

Vivaldi in eight inch basket

Kevin Whitecotton in 8 inch basket

Cannot remember right now. Ah, I just remembered - Checkered Past in 8 inch basket - this was the largest plant I bought on this trip

Loxahatchee (Greg Sytch creation) - six inch basket so not all that large

lancangensis - six inch basket

burkillii - silver edge - six inch

Madame Queen - trying it one more time. - six inch

My truck was packed.

Hope the ones who bought brevirimosa have good luck. I never did and thought I lost another one this winter but I kept it and just bottom watered the pot - it sent up two new shoots from the roots!

Thanks for all those pics Butch, some names I recognize, some not. That burkillii looks like a terrarium type, but probably not as picky as brevirimosa. I've never grown either one. I remember Madame Queen as being difficult.

Yes, Shirley, we've been talking and trading plants for many years. She sent my Caribbean King and Queen, you have those so possibly originally from you. If you'd like to try a Tamo, I'd be glad to send you one.

I didn't know about PHOE being closed, too bad about the orchid garden in WPB. I think the same thing has slowly, and obviously silently, happened to nurseries and growers all across the country because of the lousy economy that has lasted for so many years.

Also didn't know about Schoellhorn and his trialing of landscape begonias. Is that effort for a particular wholesale nursery or group?

How are you going to sell the sale leftovers? I assume locally and not by mail. If you're going to do the latter I'd be interested, but I get that mailing is a royal pain as far as time, effort and inconvenience.

Russ

Madame Queen is difficult and as usual - hard to get through a winter without some kind of humidity control. Grows well in summer outdoors in a semi-shady spot (in this case my Okame cherry tree).

Yes, I still have some C. King and Queen but I don't think Shirley got those from me (if she did it was long ago). Thanks for the offer on Tamo but for now I will pass on it - too many as it is to take care of.

PHOE says on their website (or FB page) that they are moving their operations to some Mart - maybe better location for selling? PHOE was a cool place to visit but definitely not up to date.

I suppose the location is more valuable for houses, retail centers than small businesses.

Rick looks like he is on a mission to trial begonias for N. FL. He says that since they cannot grow hostas in their area that he is looking for a replacement. HA! He worked for Proven Winners and maybe still does? He also showed on FB recently his hundreds of seeds he is sowing.

Yes, we will sell locally only but who knows - maybe mail order may be in the future. Sometimes we have an extra meeting in June to sell the remainder or someone will have to babysit them until usually November where we have Bingo for Begonias (at which point they may look bedraggled). Hopefully they will be gone sometime this month. There are 11 four inch pots left and 11 six inch pots. I set aside 4 six inch pots for one of our members but he may be changing his mind.

Hello Russ & Butch,

Russ, the begonia I sent to you labeled as 'tamo' came from a lady in Arkansas who ordered it from Taylor's Greenhouse in NY. They have it listed under their rhizomatous section. The Caribbean queen & king came from a person in Florida a few years ago.

Butch, those are great photos! With so many beautiful plants to choose from, how do you decide which ones to get?

Shirley

Hey Shirley, thanks for clearing all that up. But I am bragging on your Tamo, I'm amazed at how tall and beautiful it is. I have a foot-tall smaller one that's filling out nicely. I'm looking at other begonias because I'm so stoked about Tamo. I did pick up a Joe Hayden in a gallon pot for cheap a month ago at a local nursery.

Yeah Butch, you did pick out some beauties on your trip.

Russ

Butch, PHOE moving their biz to a Mart sounds like a retail store with plants, but they'll obviously have a property with greenhouses for growing stock for the store, but will be off-limits to the public. Bummer! It'll be interesting to see if that idea is successful, I kinda doubt it. But I don't doubt the sale of their land made them a lot of money.

Interesting Rick is trialing begonias as a replacement for hostas. I've seen B. heracleifolia types planted in the ground here and they overwinter quite well. But obviously not as cold here as north Fla.

Russ

Hey Shirley - hope all is well in Kentucky. Moved my last plants from you outside yesterday. Last month was too busy to do much else other than water, mow the lawn, and travel.

Russ, time will tell what PHOE does. From reading a post on their FB page, it looks like they are moving close to Fruit and Spice park in Redlands. Have you been there?

Wouldn't that be wonderful to come up with hardy landscape begonias for a lot of states that experience freezing temps?

Butch, regarding watering, mowing the lawn and traveling, what else is there in life??? Maybe propagating and repotting, my two favorite things!

I'm not sure but I think my brother Roger might have been a long-time manager for Fruit and Spice Park when he was a naturalist for Dade County for 30 years. I've never been there, however. Way too many people in south Florida and way too expensive, but I'd love to live there because of the warmer winter temps, it's the mecca for all things tropical, and the closeness of the ocean.

Russ

Wished I had time for propagation right about now but too busy to even think much about it. Repotting needs to be done ASAP but again it will have to wait. I have many begonia seed packs in the refrigerator that needs sowing if and when I find time.

I agree on south Florida - if you wanted to grow tropicals, it would be the logical place to be unless you wanted to move south of the border or to the other side of the world.

I know how that is Butch, you gotta prioritize when things get stacked up and some stuff just has to wait.

I always wanted to live in the Keys, but I think it's packed with people and I've heard Key West has gone from ridiculous to bizarre.

Russ

I've been tasked with being babysitter for my 7 year old grandson this summer. Kind of puts a damper on some things but you do what you have to do and try to fit in the other things as they come. I hope to finish moving all my plants outside today as I don't like to work on them on weekends other than watering. Last weekend was five days off since we went to TN to do some yardwork for my mother.

I lived on Key West for four months when I was in the Navy (sonar school). My wife and I drove there in 2002 - the old Navy barracks were gone but it looked like condos were built or some old buildings converted to condos which looked very nice. It is a good place to visit but I doubt I could live there - just too small for my likes.

One of the old forts is the Botanical Garden of Key West and was a great place to visit. One of the volunteers said she and her husband retired there from Chicago and said her husband went swimming every day but had to use a wet suit during the winter months (when I was stationed there I didn't swim in the ocean until early April - pretty chilly in January and the barracks had no heaters either).

Even the boot camp in Orlando is gone (I think they kept the women's recruit center there though). Every ship I was on were either sunk for reefs or sent to the scrap yard. How time changes everything?

Interesting past events Butch. I'd like to visit that Botanic Garden in one of the old forts, and maybe see for myself just how wild Key West is now. I've heard the street parties are both amazing and outrageous.

There must be quite a few activities still open at the old Navy Base in Orlando, I get ads in the mail every week for sales at the Exchange. Pretty sure there's a medical clinic there too.

Quite a few years ago I considered buying an acre of ground with a little house on Big Pine Key, for sale for around $80K. I was still working and it didn't make a lot of sense at the time, but would have been a good investment now if nothing else.

Russ

I bought two plants at the old fort when we visited Russ. One pot had two begonias in the same pot - still have one of those and I found the name a couple years ago from Charles Jaros - Black Cauldron. I think I paid $4 for this 3 gallon pot (not that the plants filled the pot) and maybe $6 for the other pot of Sansevieria 'Bantel Sensation'. Coming back home we stopped at a mom and pop nursery on one of the keys and ended up buying 3 or 4 extra large hanging baskets of begonias - one with 'Bunchii' and I don't remember the other ones. My wife actually purchased another hanging basket of the rex begonia vine (Cissus discolor which I still have some of it left). Stopped at a Walmart of all places in Homestead and bought some neat cacti and Eucalyptus Silver Dollar for my mother (she liked what I had grown from seed).

The sunset shows/acts ranged from cheesy to quite entertaining at Mallory Square. An older gent had his dog to climb a jungle gym which was kind of poor (guess he earned some beer money) to a comedy act with a young man with a bright clown wig on a BMX bike to jump - get this - Barbie dolls to start off with. Then he got some young girls to lay down on the pavement to jump them on the bike. Finally he got a young woman to be his guinea pig - he took her hand and walked off with her through the crowd - that elicited lots of laughter. Saw another guy hanging upside down off some support on the pier juggling fire batons. Kind of wacky!

That's good that the Navy still has some facilities at the old Navy Training Camp in Orlando. I spent 7 weeks there and was glad to get out. Some of the guys stayed there for their perspective trade they signed up for - mostly boatswain's mates (pronounced boat-sun) who do the outdoor spaces - painting, cleaning, in charge of the ropes (lines in Navy lingo), and I'm sure a lot of other things I was never aware of. I went to Great Lakes Training Center after Orlando for December and part of January before going to Key West. So from snow and ice to mild climates - what a difference.

You just never know where life will take you. You may have lost a great opportunity on that real estate deal on Big Pine Key, but it could've ended up being a bad deal too. Think about all the people who were flipping properties in FL and other states before the economy tanked. Those folks took a beating!

Butch, Key West sounds like a zoo, were those things going on every day when you were there, just weekends, or just some 'special' days? I wouldn't want to live around that silly stuff even if was just once in awhile. Call me stodgy and no fun, it ain't my cup of tea.

Black Cauldron rings a bell but I'm sure I never grew it.

Speaking of black-leaved begonias, I was at a large landscape nursery recently and found a single beat-up old black-leaved rhizomatous in a 1-gallon pot sitting among the scheffleras, liriope and other yard-stuff. The owner couldn't remember the name, but only knowing one from the old days, I suggested Joe Hayden. She immediately thought I was some kind of horticultural Einstein. Had to laugh, it was just a shot in the proverbial dark. I was glad to get it and was only a few bucks. I'd like to find the dark form of heracleifolia... nigricans?

I have a large collection of sansevierias, Bantel's Sensation is an old standard but still very popular. Cissus discolor is a beautiful vine.

The Navy was a good service to be in, a good service for those looking for a career.

Russ

Russ, I don't know about the culture of Key West to say what the sunset shows are like (day to day, season to season) - never even went to the sunsets while living there - did go to Mallory Square during the day several times. Just suffice it to say, some are probably homeless people looking for enough money to buy a meal, booze, or drugs; some may be doing it to improve their act (like the bicycle guy - he was definitely entertaining) to maybe take it on the road as an entertainment act?

I would've never known that weird begonia was Black Cauldron if I hadn't seen it either at Harmony or Charles' place. It isn't black but rather dark. Here is a photo of it on the right and Lowe's Pet on the left. PS - these are my mother's after I gave her some starts - she definitely could grow them better than me for the most part.

It's good when you can find an oldie - Joe Hayden used to be very easy for me to grow but lately it is a small version of what it used to be. Time for repotting? Anyway it was for sale at Harmony when I visited so I picked up a couple for our annual sale.

I noticed that PDN had heracleifolia nigricans at one time (out of stock) but you might write them to see if they can get you a plant. I wonder if Steve's Leaves might have it. I bought a Kumwha on eBay a long time ago that looks like it has a lot of heracleifolia in it. I had a green form but lost it after a few years. GRRR!

My Key West Bantel has diminished over the years but I got a full pot of it last year at Walmart or Home Depot. How things get in the trade, huh? I do have several different Sansevierias as well and some have busted their clay (and glazed) pots. Very strong growing plants with little care.

Ah, the Navy was just a four year stint during the Vietnam War. I got drafted so I joined the Navy instead. The draft ended while I was in boot camp and then Nixon pulled out of Nam the following year. Oh well, got the GI bill and a VA loan for our first house so it was a good experience despite being away from home quite a bit.

Here are the pics of B. Tamo I said I'd post. This is a very nice, easy-to-grow begonia, leaves are actually darker than they appear here. This one might have reached it's full height since new growths are emerging at the base of the plant.

Russ

A smaller one, going straight up.

Very Nice Russ!! How tall is your biggest one? I see earlier you said it is over 2 feet tall but sure looks like it is at least 3 by now? And what is the age?

Right Butch, it was 2 feet the last pic, but it's just shy of 3 now. And it's quite wide. I'm wondering what it's going to look like when the bottom growth gets bigger and taller, maybe just one big bush rather than resembling a cane.

I'm not sure when Shirley sent me this begonia, I'm thinking it's 2 yrs old, but maybe 3. I've got the date written down but have to find it.

I have a few leaves down, as well as Joe Hayden. Always the propagator.

I'm getting squalls right now from the tropical storm going through, raining off and on since Sunday evening. Just a rain event and not a big deal as tropical storms go.

Later, Russ

Imagine if you moved Tamo into a bigger pot? It's pretty large as it is but I find a bigger pot makes for a bigger plant. It looks great as it is right now!

Propagation will get you in trouble though - you will soon run out of room and time taking care of all the new starts. Not that I am quitting but have found a need to slow down. I have many new leaves and stems down from my visit to Fort Worth and hope they all make it but then what? I have moved most of my plants outdoors so time to start sowing some of the seed I've had in the refrigerator for a few years now. UGH!

I saw that northern FL was getting a drenching yesterday along with southern GA. We got some rain but not enough. At least it cooled off a bit. It will help acclimate the last bunch of plants I took outside Saturday and yesterday. Time for some growing as we are already in the second week of June? Where does the time go...

Tell me about it Butch, I ran out of room years ago! There's not a place to set a cup of coffee down in the shadehouse. I always hope I can give the majority of propagations away, but usually it's only a minority. I have been known to throw out garbage cans full of less rare aroids, mostly vining types that get way out of hand.

Good idea about the potting situation with Tamo, I'll check it and if roots have reached the edges of the pot I'll definitely repot. I certainly didn't expect this vigor and size from Tamo. It could well end up like my larger crotons, having to use my refrigerator dolly to move into the garage in winter. Grab the machete for a light trim.

Maybe it's still not too late for you to get some rain from this tropical system, although the eye is way north I had significant downpours here last night.

Russ

Hey Russ,

I hate throwing out plants but it may come to that this fall. The in and out of so many plants for an older feller is getting to be TOO MUCH! HA!

I move in two extra large pots of elephant ears (22 inch pots) with the aid of a hand truck. I am rethinking that come fall. It may be a lot easier to remove the bulbs in fall and replant them in spring? My best growing C. Queen and King were in 18 inch pots but I didn't know about potting down when I had them in big pots - each year for about 3 years in a row they were getting smaller instead of bigger. Lessons learned. Same thing with Lotusland but I was putting it next to lights - not a dim, cold garage. Eventually lost it but it was just too BIG.

I don't think we will get any rain from that storm. The weather people are saying mid 90's this weekend. And the heat is coming on like gangbusters.

My old Lotusland

Do you know the variety of elephant ears you have? I have quite a few.

That Lotusland is a beauty! I've gotta get one of those, I've never grown or even seen it, looking it up I see it's an heirloom thick-stem type.

Tell me what you meant when you said "I didn't know about potting down when I had them in big pots". I've cut rhizomes and the rootball like pieces of pie and potted each section on it's own. I can see if you did that early enough you could overwinter a small plant and toss the bigger piece.

Overwintering the bulbs and planting the following spring sounds like a better plan than lugging those big heavy pots. I may try that with some variegated Alocasia macrorhizos plants, although most EE's will overwinter here outside in their pots. That said, I did find some empty pots this spring but I always have multiple pots.

Russ

Russ,

I have tried many different EEs over the years. Alocasia and Colocasia mainly but a couple Xanthosoma as well (have less luck with these). Stingray, Mojito, Elena, Elepaio (is it one word or two?), Illustris, Black Magic, Jack's Giant, Portodora, Malaysian Monster (think I lost it but then it never really grew much), Nigra, Black Velvet (think I lost it this winter), Mayan Princess, Hilo Beauty (may have lost it too), White Lava (we'll see if it comes back), Frydek (one of my favorites), African Mask, and probably a few more I cannot recall. The only ones that survive our winter in ground would be Colocasia - Illustris and Black Magic are two that seem somewhat reliable but they come up late and small to begin with but by mid to late summer have caught up to the ones in pots. You are lucky you can keep them outdoors year round.

Lotusland is hard to find and is possibly the largest leaf rhizomatous begonia that I've seen (doesn't mean there aren't larger). I think it was named after the famous home and gardens of Lotusland in Montecito, CA. A wonderful place to visit if you are lucky enough to get in but the tour was much too short for me but I still enjoyed every minute of it.

http://www.lotusland.org/

As I was moving plants to bigger and bigger pots over the years to make the plants grow larger and larger, I had never heard of "potting down" before. That did not make sense to me - why move a large plant to a smaller pot? When I would move my monster pots indoors for winter sometimes in the garage, the plants would get smaller and smaller. One person mentioned "potting down" to me to keep the big plant going strong but I resisted the extra work. It took a few years to find out the advantage of this but I still resist if I can due to the extra work involved. When it comes to saving the plant then I will do that reluctantly. Hope this makes sense? I wasn't talking about propagation in this respect. I was just talking about moving the plant down to a smaller pot respective to its root ball size.