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Red Begonia

Debra (6a) West Ma.
7 years ago
last modified: 7 years ago

Just acquired this red Begonia, I put it in the East window. And I'm crossing my fingers & toes....as I have no luck with any kind of begonia, except the bulbs.

Comments (33)

  • hc mcdole
    7 years ago

    It might do fine there. Time will tell. It is a rex type and can be a bit fussy in winter - defoliation and mildew are the two biggest complaints against rexes. Even if you lose it, it is worth the few months of winter cheer.

    Debra (6a) West Ma. thanked hc mcdole
  • Debra (6a) West Ma.
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    Thank you once again...why do I keep buying rexes?! Have I not learned the torture of losing them....I'm going to start looking at rhizomatous.

  • hc mcdole
    7 years ago

    Rexes just have that WOW factor. Try Coleus as they are very colorful, easier to keep and propagate.


    Debra (6a) West Ma. thanked hc mcdole
  • Debra (6a) West Ma.
    Original Author
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Coleus is a good idea...I planted some outside one year & they reseeded themselves for a few years which was quite nice.

    I'm not giving up on my begonias though...I'll switch over to the Rhizomes..Thank you HC

  • Debra (6a) West Ma.
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    Update....it bit the dust. I'll get a coleus next time.

  • hc mcdole
    7 years ago

    Sorry to hear that. I just bought 3 new ones and a cool fern from Lowe's on Sunday.

    The fern and the smaller begonia were in 4 inch pots for $3.48 each while the two bigger begonias were in 5 inch pots and were $5.98 each.


    the smaller begonia



    Coleus are a lot easier to propagate though. I just don't dedicate as much space for them in winter though.



    Debra (6a) West Ma. thanked hc mcdole
  • Debra (6a) West Ma.
    Original Author
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Wow! Great score! Your Coleus are Gorgeous...as are those Begonias..sigh.

    Hey, Guess what I bought yesterday....online. A Mallet begonia. 'Don Miller'...says it's an easy one to grow..Ha, means nothing to me.

    I just received some Faery Garden plants from Logee's. 5 different mini ferns, 3 mixed foliage...and these are regular sized; 3 Iresine Lindenii Formosa 'Bloodleaf', 2 Kalanchoe 'Flapjacks', 'Thyrsiflora', 'Paddle plant'.

    I'll take pics later...I'm disabled & the plants are upstairs...my leg is numb.

  • hc mcdole
    7 years ago

    B. 'Don Miller' is a great summer grower BUT it is a mildew magnet in winter. Maybe because I have all the plants in the basement. Hopefully yours will do better than any I've had. Maurice Amey, Sinbad, Pink Minx, Lynda Dawn are all in the same category - great in summer but absolutely terrible in winter.

    Definitely post some photos of your new plants. I lost my K. 'Flapjacks' and had Iresine many years ago - great colorful plant.


    My old flapjacks when I had a greenhouse. I guess it needs more light than I can give it in the basement.

    I may have to look for Iresine again this spring. Here is the one I had - I know they have many different types. Just looked up which one this was - Blazin Lime! Didn't even know the name all the time I had it.

    The cool thing about this one was the pink stem



    Here is one of my old Don Miller plants.


    Sinbad is a great grower and I have two still indoors and hope they make it to move outside in a few weeks. That is an 18 inch pot so it gets big (from a gallon pot).

    Maurice Amey has some great color






  • Debra (6a) West Ma.
    Original Author
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    All Gorgeous color, wow that must be the secret of success...putting them out in the shade in the warmer months. Ty :)

    One of my fave online greenhouses... Iresine, Another

  • Debra (6a) West Ma.
    Original Author
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Good Morning HC....here are most of my new plants

    Iresine


    1 of the Flapjacks

    These 2 ferns are green, the lights inside change their color. I'm saving these 2 for my 2nd indoor fairy garden which will be smaller than the 1st. These 2 were the smallest of the bunch.

    Pteris on the top, Fittonia & Hindu Hoya middle, 2 ferns of which I'm not familiar with yet. The sticks are acting as a trellis for a few mini vine cuttings my girlfriend gave me...I never cared for Fittonia.

    2 of the ferns & I have no idea what the 3rd plant is...(A work in progress)

    I've trimmed the Iresine to fill it in. These are the leaves...Hmmm... Should I toss them?

  • hc mcdole
    7 years ago

    Looking good Debra. I've ordered from Pepper's (Accents for Home and Garden) in the past - pretty good place to buy from. Wish they had a much larger selection to choose from.

    I don't know if you can propagate Iresine from leaf cutting or not. Maybe a search will tell you. I'd say toss them but then I am not sure.

    Debra (6a) West Ma. thanked hc mcdole
  • hc mcdole
    7 years ago

    This site says stem cuttings for Iresine.

    http://www.guide-to-houseplants.com/iresine-herbstii.html


    Debra (6a) West Ma. thanked hc mcdole
  • Debra (6a) West Ma.
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    Thanks HC...I treated them like african violet leaves. we'll see what happens..that was before I read your link.

  • Debra (6a) West Ma.
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    I took your advice & ordered this trio the other day...

  • hc mcdole
    7 years ago

    Hope your order comes to you in great shape and colors. I just pick up new ones each year at the local nurseries. They make a great complement to begonias.





    Some can get quite large




    Flowers are small but numerous (little hover fly on this tiny bloom)

    a small one in this photo but does add a little color

    Debra (6a) West Ma. thanked hc mcdole
  • Debra (6a) West Ma.
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    Oh, my heart is beating out of my chest...soo beautiful. I Love all the leaf shapes.

    all grown in pt. shade? Gorgeous HC.

  • Debra (6a) West Ma.
    Original Author
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    HC...Can you tell me what vine that is in the 2nd pic . it's in the back with red stems. Gorgeous.

    You're killing me with this Gorgeousness..

  • hc mcdole
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Hi Debra,


    I don't see a vine in the second pic.

    I hope I can paste it here without going to look for it again. I am going to post this and see if it works (I simply copied the image above and pasted here)

    Yay, it worked!

    Debra (6a) West Ma. thanked hc mcdole
  • Debra (6a) West Ma.
    Original Author
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    OK, it starts next to the post & goes to the right from there & then behind the elephant ears...The vine has a reddish tinge to it and the leaves resemble hearts somewhat. 1 leaf per off branch of the stem.

  • hc mcdole
    7 years ago

    I have a feeling you are talking about the big Euphorbia cotinifolia - kind of a cool looking plant once you get it growing. It's about five feet tall now and this winter I cut a lot of the limbs way back and found out how easy those are to root.


    Here is new growth from the mother plant about a month ago (Jan 7) - do you think this is it?


    A pot of cuttings that look okay


    and finally a look at the plant outdoors two years ago in fairly full sun (afternoon sun)

    and the only year it ever bloomed (not much to look at) - bloom and seed pod

    Finally to show the difference of size and color of sun on some plants


    Lots of sun

    very shady (same plant)

    Think I got this from PHOE back in 2009. Excellent grower. Great color.

    Debra (6a) West Ma. thanked hc mcdole
  • Debra (6a) West Ma.
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    Yes that's the one. Beautiful plant...Thanks for the name. I'll see if I can source a plant.

    I've been searching for philodendrons these past few days & can't find any online..any suggestions ?

  • hc mcdole
    7 years ago

    Start on eBay for philodendrons. Seems like there are many for sale. Try to stick with one vendor to save shipping costs (if you buy more than one). Check your local nurseries and that includes the big box stores (Walmart, Home Depot, Lowe's) as well.

    I have traded with a woman in KY (begonias for her and she sent me several philodendrons). Kind of cool. My favorite is P. gloriosum but I bought my second P. verrucosum this past fall from SOAK (I bought the same one from Logee's a year or so earlier but it succumbed - once it dries out, it quickly dies so this one is in a 10 gallon aquarium for now where it is flourishing).


    Here is gloriosum with a couple other smaller philodendrons in the same 14" bowl. The Swiss cheese philodendron behind the right side of the gloriosum is actually a Monstera deliciosa.

    and the verrucosum.

    I inherited this monster since my mother said it is too big for her.

    This was called a golden philodendron but it looks like the old pothos to me.

    Don't know which one this is - Xanadu?

    Small leaf variety but the variegation is what is appealing

    A nice light green/yellow hybrid

    Wished I had a greenhouse like the Atlanta Botanical Garden so I could grow some BIG philodendrons/anthuriums.

    Debra (6a) West Ma. thanked hc mcdole
  • Debra (6a) West Ma.
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    Oh be still my heart...couldn't for the life of me pick a favorite.

    Do you put all your plants out in the summer in the shade of course?

    It's hard for me to get around sometimes..I have my days though.

    Thank you much HC.

  • hc mcdole
    7 years ago

    All plants go outside in summer with the exception of the few that are in terrariums.

    This takes me about two weeks in spring and probably 3 weeks in fall. A lot of work but as long as I can do that, I will continue. I used a hand truck in the past but this year if I could not lift it, then I dug the plant out of the very large pot to store indoors for winter.

    This scene has two very large pots of elephant ears surrounded by smaller pots of elephant ears and begonia canes. Only the two largest stayed outdoors this winter but I dug up the plants for safekeeping.

    some of my madness this past summer.










  • Debra (6a) West Ma.
    Original Author
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Wow! such Beauty. What a garden of eden you have. You must enjoy sitting out there...and relaxing or watering most likely.

    You just sit them on the ground right...you have lots of shade there...or pt. shade..

    I can see that would take some time to set out. what about a wheel barrow. that might help.

    Our home faces south. So in the back I have an old time metal bread rack, you know like Dreikorn's. You would see them in the store with the breads stacked. I use that for my non hanging plants & for my hanging pots I hang from tree branches in the shade....

    I do have an old beat up kitchen table we picked up for free... I do outdoor projects on it...I could use that for plants too. But it's far from the 3 hoses. one of is a 150 ft. hose...I do not enjoy lugging that back & forth. I suppose I could move the table closer...duh.

    Thanks for the pics. I do enjoy them. I often come back & look again & again.

  • hc mcdole
    7 years ago

    Yes, on the ground. It would take a boat load of tables/benches to put them up and then they may get knocked off from wind and animals. Always something to consider. Water most days even if only a spray overhead. Sometimes I miss pots that really get dried out but once I find it I water them thoroughly.

    I have used a wheelbarrow in the past (and garden cart when I had one). Wheelbarrow is good for when I was moving them all to the very back of the lot. It still took a lot of trips back and forth. I hated the distance so the last two years I've moved them slightly off the flagstone under a big beech tree. I have the tree limb-ed up quite a bit so the shade is not too dense. I find that once they get acclimated to the outdoors once more, they quickly adapt to a few hours of sun and do better in my view.

    As for hoses, I set up my own quirky system years ago - a four way manifold (or five as the newer ones usually have) so I can have 3 hoses to feed sprinklers and one to feed the next station and so on. I use the battery operated timer (four zones) from Orbit. So at one time I had five stations and programmed each station to water all its zones so that it would not operate at the same time as any other station. Each zone was set for 45 minutes. This added up to some big water bills though - $300 each month one summer but I was trying to keep the entire backyard as lush as I could. Gave up on that idea going forward. Once a plant is established in the ground for the first two years then I don't water it regularly thereafter except for severe drought. Hoses break, timers and valves wear out, sprinklers get clogged or fall apart, etc. I find I replace some of these parts more often than others. The worst thing are the manifolds themselves. I don't disassemble everything as this means more work. UGH! So anyway I usually have one port open at each station just for a hose with a handheld nozzle so I can hand water. I find this better than sprinklers as I can observe what needs water and what is getting too much. I can also discover problems such as a knocked over pot, digging by rodents or my dogs, fallen limbs on the pots, etc. If I go on vacation then I set up a sprinkler and make sure the timer is set and working before leaving for two weeks. That is what I've been doing here for over ten years now.


    Basic kit (some sprinklers, hoses (to cut), repair kits, and timer with manifold) This was 2007

    Extra valves since Orbit only provides a manifold and two valves with the timer kit. I also bought hose repair ends (male and female) since I was cutting a 120 foot hose into smaller hoses and also bought the quick disconnects.


    The timer kit has changed a lot since then as these were small to read and confusing to program. The brass manifold valves get corroded in place and very hard to shut off/turn on using just your hand so it is out too. The quick disconnects seem so simple but eventually they are next to worthless - do not waste your money on these.

    So here is a brass manifold with four valves and all with quick disconnects and the timer ready to be attached to all the valves.

    Lay the hose out in the hot sun to take the loops out and cut to what lengths you need.

    Shown below are some hoses cut and also two with the original ends on them.

    Once you put the repair ends on the cut ends, then start assembling everything for your garden layout. PS - try micro irrigation too but I find it a pain after a year or two because parts will break each year and all those spaghetti hoses can be trip hazards the next year.


    Here is a micro sprinkler head for example. It may throw water out six feet if staked high enough.




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  • Debra (6a) West Ma.
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    Excellent system...

    We have what the town calls a 'green' meter on one of the water outlets. It's a less expensive way of watering...

    But also have an inground sprinkler system on a timer, I believe he set it to go on every 3 days in rotation around the perimeter of the house to about 25'-30' width...more of them in the front. So the bread rack plants benefit from this & some of the tree hanging plants, but not all.

    I too have to be careful where I place this table because of the racoons & squirrels, etc. will devour my feeders...they have their own once a week treat.

    Peanuts....sometimes they climb the back of the house & look into the plate glass window going back & forth on the window frame until they're noticed. That is the north room where the tv is...there are feeders in all the windows..6 feeders & 4 nyjer socks. I have to do this because of a couple reasons. These socks are new, because the critters chewed through all my other ones...and it's easier for me to bring them in & clean them & fill them. The plus is we get to see them all feed...I do have 8 other feeders in the yard....and 2 small dishes for my chippies. I hide those under the hostas hoping they get to it before the squirrels.

    Sorry I got so off track.

    I planted 3 amaryllis bulbs this morning..from a local nursery Living Gardens

  • Debra (6a) West Ma.
    Original Author
    7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Love your Charisma..pretty, pretty.

    I don't mind my darling squirrels...I feed everything in my yard...except the bunnies, there's enough clover to last forever...I put out corn cobs for the racoons mostly, well & bluejays. 2 cobs a week. Just made a double batch of suet & put it out. But I wrap the cages with hardware cloth to keep unwanted critters out.

    My Mr. feels the same way about my chippies as you do about your squirrels...funny they like the nectar...I have 2 of your green feeders. The big bad bear destroyed 2 of them, so I'm down to 2 metal ones.

    My resident Catbird that follows me around the yard

    Northern Flicker

    I have lots of Nuthatches here

    Male Hairy

    Hard to see but there's a goldfinch on the left & a Junco on the right.

    OOps, sorry for going off topic..

  • hc mcdole
    7 years ago

    No problem being off topic BUT did you know your photos are very small so can't really see any detail. It's almost like they are thumbnails instead of the full photo (or reduced size).

    No bears in our neighborhood (famous last words). Since we put a fence up I haven't seen any more deer but I do put bird netting over my hostas and hydrangeas outside the fence. The rabbits still get through and chew the young hydrangeas and lilies down though - GRRR!

    Those catbirds used to drive me crazy with their calls until I found out what was making that screeching noise. Once in a great while we will get a hawk but by the time I get the camera out, it flies off. I did catch this one in one of our trees a few years back.


    We rarely have blue jays at this house but had lots of them at our other house. Weird?


  • Debra (6a) West Ma.
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    Last year I had a virus & it infected everything including my pics, all of them. I don't know how to change them back to the way they were.

    Love the hawk..

  • hc mcdole
    7 years ago

    Sorry to hear about your pictures being affected by a computer virus.

    I back all mine up to two different drives - guess I got tired of disk crashes wiping things out.

  • Debra (6a) West Ma.
    Original Author
    7 years ago

    Yes, My son did that for me too. He loses his patience with me & my computer. Haha

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