Thank you so much, for you id's and advice.

I actually have 5 'Maurice Amey' begonias. 1 is the large one that I took the photo of, and I have another 4 in a pot altogether, which are about half the size, of the larger one.

I have put sugar cane straw in the pot with the 4 smaller ones, as I live in the tropics and it is very hot here. When it starts raining, it can rain for days and days. But now is the hot season, with no rain for the next couple of months. I will take the straw out when we get to this season. If I didn't do this I would have to water twice a day.

I will keep my out for mildew, especially in the rainy season.

I love this forum, and look at it often. I have also gone back and read your posts from the past, I was really hoping that I would hear from you. You are very clever with begonias and have the experience, for the advice that I need.

Thank you so much,

Bernie.

Since you live in the tropics, you will probably have lots of success with this prima donna. Most of these kinds of shrubs have an ancestor in their genetics (U094 I think from the Philippines so they love it hot and humid). I've always had great luck with Maurice, Don Miller, Pink Minx, Lynda Dawn, and Sinbad (the most vigorous) in summer conditions but horrible growers in cool, damp environments. I don't know how many I've gone through over the years but it dawned on me finally that mildew is the bane of this group and a killer if it goes too far.

I used to be able to buy a Sinbad gallon pot at our local chain nursery in Atlanta for $5 to $7 but I can't find it any longer. Here is one in 2007 in an 18 inch pot.

Thanks again hc mcdole!

I don't have too many choices up here to buy many begonias, as I am not in a capital city. I only really have the markets or Bunnings, (It's a huge hardware store with a nursery.) So if I walk past one, I tend to buy it as I might not see it again for the next 10 years.

I am slowly building up my collection. I bough Super Curl, Fireworks and Connie Boswell for my birthday from Ebay. I have had Sophie Cecile for about 10 years. I also have a few others. I have managed to have success with leaf cuttings and am starting to sell a few, as nobody seems to have them up here.

I will keep my eye out for the ones you suggested though. I'll look them up on google.

Thanks again, you always give me such good advice!

Bernie.

Ruh-roh! You've got the bug now. It is understandable as I've been bitten for at least 20 years.

Bought 24 begonias back in August from our local club. The young guy in our club grew these from seed he bought from the French Begonia Society.

One of the begonias I leave outdoors year round. B. grandis

The backside of B. parviflora which is a giant in its homeland of Ecuador and surrounding countries. The front side gets full sun during the hot afternoon and seems to love it.

A little rex from Walmart peeking through the giant leaves of 'Virginia Jens'

Another giant begonia from Brazil as I recall - B. platanifolia next to my seed grown maculata hybrids. The fern is bracken ferns and are looking a bit invasive now.

Ha! Ha! Definitely got the bug! I'm so glad someone understands! I loved your photos too!

Because I have quite a few now, and they are in flower. I have also started cross pollinating the flowers. By the look of it I have had some success, because the petals are dropping off and the pods are going brown. When they look like they are ready, I am putting them into a jar. When I get enough I am going to put them in a square polystyrene container, with seed raising mix. I know they need light to germinate and they are small. So i will see how I go, hopefully i will have some success. Wish me luck!

Here are a couple of photos for you.

Bottom photo, plant needs splitting, I will do it when the flowers have finished as I want the seeds!

Thank you so much for all your advice hc mcdole. I really do appreciate it. This is definitely my go to forum, because you have the knowledge and the experience.

Kind Regards

Bernie.

Looking Good Bernie!

At least you live in a frost free area where you can keep your beauties outside year round?

I am in the process of many days, hours long of hosing off pots, removing leaf and twig litter, and spraying for mildew and bugs. It is getting harder every year - the plants get bigger and I am no spring chicken. HAHA!

I lose some but I always get more things to try out. Part of my problem as I wished I could pare down my plants to say 100 or 200. I just want to keep most everything though.

Here are a few of my beauties that I've grown. A lot of them checked out (winter indoors is not great to keep some alive)

You have alot of plants! they are all beautiful too! Thank you for the photos! I understand the work that's involved, we do it to ourselves though, don't we.

I can leave my plants outside year round here though. The only time I would bring them in, is if it rains for days and days. As I might lose a few due to wet feet, and if I see them going downhill, I would do my best to save them.

I always try to have 2 plants of each, so if one dies, I have the other to propagate from. I think it's a good plan. If I get too many, I just try to sell them as no one really has them up here.

Many thanks hc mcdole! You are so good to me!

Kind Regards

Bernie.

Bernie i am also in australia! if you want to trade begonias let me know!!! I have lots!!!

Thanks, Mike the fiddle leaf guy.

At the moment I have enough to look after. Its getting a little bit too hot here now and I am trying to keep the ones alive that I have already got. I also have a jar of dried seeds that I have cross pollinated from my own plants, so I am going to try to grow them and see what I get.

I would love you to post some photos though, and just out of curiosity where in Australia are you?

i have a listada

firework

and angularis. I will get a metallica tomorrow but not sure if it is metallica. Need hc mcdole help to confirm

Mike, the second photo is not 'Fireworks' but looks like 'Little Brother Montgomery' named after a famous jazz musician.

Your first photo may be listada but hard to see by one leaf. It could be a hybrid from listada.

This was my first LBM about 20 years ago.

B. listada last year at the ABG (Atlanta Botanical Garden)

Thanks HC Mcdole! Can you help me id this begonia too

Wow your little brother montgomery looks so beautiful! I like the teal green color in the middle!!! I hope mine gets those too. do i give it more light to get that color?

The third photo looks like Alto Scharff, scharfii, or scharfiana. I never figured which is which.

I have no idea what influences color. Just grow them and have fun.

Is this same as the schafiana? thank you!

Thank you to both of you for adding to this post.

All your photos are beautiful, and I just love seeing photos of the different varieties of this plant!

Mike the fiddle leaf guy. This is fireworks which I have. I bought all these plants, mail order, 3 months ago, from the same company. They are all lovely plants, and are all growing well.

Fireworks.

Connie Boswell.

Super Curl.

I now have 5 containers of leaf cuttings and a jar of cross pollinated dried seeds. Your rubbing off on me hc mcdole!

Thanks again to both of you!

Best wishes.

That super curl is so pretty!!! I told myself i wont buy another one but I just might after seeing your photo!

Does anyone know if the maurice amey is propagatable by leaf?

Mike, I don't think Maurice can be propagated by a leaf. Just do a stem cutting and you will be good. What I have learned over the years is a cane can be propagated by a stem cutting but the node must be a growing tip, NOT a flowering node. Maurice is a shrub (I think) and can have any node as a growing point (flowering or not). WOW!

I love Super Curl, Purple Curl, China Curl, and so many other "curls".

Here is Purple Curl in a community pot of other begonias.

a closer look

Curley Black Beauty (the way it was spelled)

I have this one as Silver Curly but not sure about that.

I am having a go at propagating Maurice Amey from a leaf. I have also got stem cuttings in as well. I only put these in 2 weeks ago. They are still there, and they haven't rotted as yet. Hc mcdole is probably right though.

I like doing experiments with my plants, I have learnt a lot from just playing. I have been gardening for 30 years, and have grown lots of different plants from cuttings and seed. But now my interest has gone to begonias.

Mike the fiddle leaf fig guy, have a go at propagating it. If it doesn't work, no harm done. Put it down to experience, it will increase your knowledge of this plant. I have done lots of different things with plants over the years, and all my successes and my mistakes have taught me something.

Super curl is on ebay at the moment, when you find it have a look at their store. They have some really nice begonias.

Hc mcdole, thank you once again for your photos. I really didn't know there was so many 'curls'. As usual you are teaching me. Just what I need, someone with the experience!

Kind Regards

Bernie.

Bernie,

Your leaf of Maurice may root but I kind of doubt it will make a plant. I had a leaf of some superba type canes (Sophie or Lana or maybe Irene) that rooted but never produced a plant. There was a grant from the ABS many years ago to a college botany study to see if there was a secret to obtaining a plant from a cane leaf - never happened. I wonder if tissue culture would work but I seriously doubt that too.

The odd thing is some Asian cane looking types can be propagated by leaf such as amphioxus and brevirimosa. Go figure.

I have all my begonias indoors now and looking halfway decent.

back corner of the big utility room with many canes.

Valida is the leaf floppy shrubby begonia.

Mr. Hunt is too tall to fit under this light

Taconite is the big leaf and Shaun's Dream is the green curly leaf rex

my aconitifolia is nearly six feet tall. The cane is Comte de Lesseps.

Virginia Jens is a big honking begonia.

Judy Cook is a big rex like begonia

My own seed grown maculata hybrid

Syngoniums and a cane called Hazel's Front Porch in this aluminum pan (been in the same pan for years)

Tiny new leaves on the newest stem of HFP

I can't recall the name of this - U421, U521?

Philodendrons eat up a lot of space and light

The cane on the left is kind of cool but no name - I have a feeling it is one of my seedlings. The one on the right is Lana.

variegated bromeliad is sharp as well. U508 sitting right of it.

a couple of other fun plants - Agave geminiflora and Stromanthe

Lost the tag on this rex

Fireflush between some seed grown Buddha Belly plants (Jatropha podagrica)

Wow!!! just wow!!! im looking for more!!! Hope that begonias will be a lot affordable here! do you have a begonia luxurians? I have one but i dont know the care! The leaves keep turning brown and dropping as soon a new leaf matures

I had luxurians but lost it last year. In California they grow very tall despite the very cold conditions of San Francisco.

This was just last year when I had rooted several cuttings.

How the mother plant looked in summer. Kind of gangly looking.

In S.F. is where I saw the biggest one I had seen in person. This was near UC-Berkeley I believe. Mid August and the temps were in the middle 50's as a high. BRRR!

The late Dr. Peng next to a very tall luxurians. He might've been around 5 feet tall - guessing.

Any care tips on the luxurians? Im struggling to keep 2 leaves

Water as needed. Lots of light. I think I lost mine because of poor light last winter. Two years ago, it was doing fine next to a light. Being in Australia you shouldn't have a problem growing it in the ground (it doesn't frost there, does it?)

I have it in a small pot. Yes it doesnt frost from where i am

Lots of light meaning direct sun?

Bernie if you dont mind me asking, where were you able to buy your begonia lucerna?

Thanks hc mcdole, as usual your photos are just beautiful. Gee you must have a lot of plants! My Maurice Amey leaf cuttings have rotted, but my stem cuttings seem to be going ok. So you were right.

Mike the fiddle leaf fig guy, I probably bought the plant from the markets. I do go and have a look every now and then. Sometimes I find something interesting, if I look at it 3 times, I want it! So I just buy it nowadays, or I might not walk past it again for a few years.

Thanks to both of you for responding! Hc mcdole, your advice is so good, I haven't found anyone better! Thank you.

Kind regards

Bernie.