Hi,

Thanks Anita for the info. I checked the babies and the roots are coming through on the the sponges. I will go ahead and divide the bigger ones this weekend.

Tom, I will include a link to the Bio-Dome seed starter.

I always get better germination with this seed starter. And you just replace the sponges.

It will be interesting to see how your queens do-outside.
Do Baby wing begonias do well planted in the ground?

Here is a link that might be useful: Bio-Dome Seed starter

I've always understood that when they start to 'crowd' it's time to transplant. Although I've found that once they're crowed they seem to grow faster/better too... not sure the reason for that!

I have seen pictures of the baby dragon wings outside in a flower bed - they just looked more delicate... They looked fine... They were the white baby dragon wings. I am partial to the red and they don't have a red baby wing yet. YET.. :) Kioni's picture of her pink baby wings is tempting though - they're just lovely!! I may have to move away from my regulars. You folks are bad influences on me!!! here's the 'dragon wing web site' they don't have ANY baby's in there..? http://www.dragonwingbegonia.com/

Betty, I like the vents in the top of the bio-dome (I'm chuckling at the name of this, there was a movie out a zillion years ago called Bio Dome with Pauly Shore and one of the Baldwin Brothers that was just down right goofy - I wonder if they know they named their product after a goofy movie)? I wonder if I can poke holes in the top of some of my domes - once the plants get to a certain size... ?? Probably defeat the purpose of the dome, aye? :)

Golly, I've learned so much from you gals!! Thanks so much!

Here is a link that might be useful: Ball's website with beautiful pictures - check it out!

I just got a new rhizomatous begonia in the mail. It's called Helix. The leaf spirals around twice and are thick and shiney. This was my first time getting a begonia from e-bay and I was so afraid I wouldn't get it that I went ahead and paid the "buy it now' price. Also, you guys will be proud of me, I had my daughter teach me how to use my camera today. Hopefully I'll get pictures soon before I kill everything. Wow, Betty, that was a lot to pay for the lights. Tell me about them as I don't know what they are. Mine are old shop light fixtures and when we were trying to get pictures today I was having a hard time keeping them out of the pictures. I didn't want the rust spots to show. Tom, I have to go but I'll post later and tell you about the hardy begonias. Now that I know they can be started from seed I'll send you both some seed this fall after they bloom. They'd be perfect for you Tom, they like about the same conditions as impatiens. Anita

Hi Tom and Anita,

Thanks Tom for the information on when to divide my babies. And for the links--I really enjoyed those websites. That was funny about the Bio-Dome movie, and I had not seen it.

I was visiting a nursery in Mt. Washington, Ky. last weekend and they had the most beautiful pink Baby Dragonwing begonias in bloom and my boss wanted me to plant some in her front yard. I wanted to know if they grow well in the ground. I guess I will try them now.

Anita, I will include a link with a picture of my plant light. It is the one with 4 lamps, the one priced at $151.95. The lamps are not included, and I will have to replace them each year. The lamps are about one-half the size of the regular shoplight lamps. The entire fixture is so very light. It is energy efficient and high output and cool. That is why I chose it over some of the other type fixtures which are hot and not energy efficient. I have the plants growing under this fixture on a table that is about 6 feet by 3 feet and it is amazing how many plants I can grow under this fixture. I overwintered my Hibiscus and Gardenia also and they were in bloom all winter for me to enjoy. The Dragon-wing Begonia cuttings also bloomed well all summer.

That is so exciting about your new begonia and I would love to have seeds. Post pictures when you can.

I have a busy weekend. It has rained so much in Louisville since the beginning of the year. We are now around 12 inches over for the year so far. My basement started to leak, and I have someone coming to the house to give me an estimate to fix the leaks. I now have to clear out one room in the basement completely---what a job.

Here is a link that might be useful: T5 light fixture

I admire everyone for growing Dragon Wings from seed. Here in the Atlanta area we have been fortunate to have them readily available every year in mass quantities and quite cheap too (last year they had them about the same price as wax begonias). I started treating them as annuals two years ago (watch this year they probably won't be available).

Here is one I had 3 years ago and would winter over since they were rarer to come by. It is in a coir lined basket with a small caladium on our hot deck.
{{gwi:430441}}

Two years ago I got this King Kong coleus and a new Dragon Wing begonia that I put in 18 inch pots.
{{gwi:430444}}

Last year I got this six pack for $5.
{{gwi:430446}}

This is what they looked like a little later in the summer.
{{gwi:430449}}

Close up of the blooms
{{gwi:430452}}

Another DW beside a breynia and epiphyllum. The arborvitae is a 24 inch pot.
{{gwi:430455}}

Side view of the same scene
{{gwi:430457}}

close up of same pot
{{gwi:430459}}

Close up of DW and a couple of caladiums.
{{gwi:430460}}

Six DW begonias after a couple of months.
{{gwi:430461}}

Hi,

I just divided my Dragon Wing Begonias and I counted 73. I planted 100 seeds --5 weeks ago.
{{gwi:430462}}

hcmcdole--The pictures of your Dragon Wing Begonias are breathtaking!!! I will show those to my boss, as she wants me to plant them in her yard and in containers this year. The Dragon Wing Begonias were selling for $3-$4 each at one of our garden centers last year.

Hi, Butch, the dragon wings in the St. Louis area aren't that low priced yet, but the're not as expensive as they were a few years ago. I prefer the pink and so far they aren't readily available.Your DWs in the pictures are such a deep green, they are beautiful. All of your begonias are gorgeous and well grown. Betty, I read about your light setup. Now I know how you got Hibiscus blooms in winter.Where are you going to grow all of the Dragon Wings that you're starting? Tom, you wanted to know about the hardy begonias. They are Begonia grandis, the pink variety.The leaves are large, 6 to 8 inches when I have a good year with them, and green on the top with reddish petioles and veins on the reverse side. We've had unusually dry weather for a couple years now and they haven't spread as much for me as they usually do. They are tuberous, but not the big tubers like on the big gaudy ones. I'm in zone 6a and they they're hardy here in good soil, but they haven't made it through the winter where I've planted them in clay. Anita

Hi to all the begonia growers. Your pictures are stunning and I am jealous. I saved seed from my pink dragon wing from last year but had no germination. Has anyone else tried collecting and sowing from your DW plants? I saved seed from a begonia called Bonfire and from wax begonias and they germinated very well.

Hi Anita,

I will probably put the Dragon Wing Begonias in my backyard in front of my Arborvitaes and also in pots and maybe a few in the front yard. I will give the rest away to my boss and friends. I visited one nursery today that had them for $4.50 each in a 4" pot. They were smaller than mine and already blooming. I do not understand why mine are not blooming. Maybe I need to change the fertilizer.

Betty

Betty, try ferti.lome Blooming and Rooting Soluble plant food. It's high phosphorus(9-59-8) and you can use it as a root stimulant when you go to transplant all of those Dragon Wings to the ground. kbcherokee, I don't try to save seed from the modern hybrids because I thought they wouldn't be the same as the parent plant. Anita

Thanks Anita,

I will try that fertilizer. Last night I put some Better-Gro Orchid Bloom Buster on them, and it is 11-35-15. Also the nursery I visited last week in Mt. Washington, Ky.--the owner told me he was keeping his Dragon Wing Begonias that he started from seed--on the dry side to get them to bloom. Maybe, I will try that too. I have been watering them every other day. They dry out so fast.

KBCherokee - My understanding is that dragon wings are 'sterile'. A sterile hybrid. Which is why it blooms and doesn't stop (never forming any seed). I think it's okay to save seed from modern hybrids, but you should not expect the same as the parent with seed, that's all - you might end up with something you like very much! :)

I wish I knew that those seeds looked like - I couldn't see diddly! (and truth be told my eyes are NOT that bad!)

I found this article:

Plant of the Week
Dragon Wings Begonia
Latin: Begonia x hybrida 'Dragon Wings'
Big Boy is a large-fruited F1 hybrid that has maintained its popularity for over 50 years.
In 35-plus years following the comings and goings of horticulture, I've seen a number of plants rise in popularity, only to be dashed against the rocks as gardeners tire of them or their less desirable attributes become known.

Dragon Wings begonia is one of the most remarkable new garden flowers to come along in my career. It too will eventually fade from the scene, but for now it's an excellent example of another group of garden plants the interspecific hybrids as we continue our discussion of how garden plants are produced.

Dragon Wings begonia is a 2- to 3-foot tall, cane-forming begonia with deep, glossy-green, 5-inch long leaves and drooping clusters of flowers. Because the hybrid is sterile, it just keeps blooming from spring till frost. The original introduction had bright red flowers but pink and white forms are now available.

My only complaint with Dragon Wings is that it's a bit messy on my deck. It makes so many flowers that I have to occasionally sweep to keep it from staining the wood red.

To follow the story of Dragon Wings begonia, we must first discuss a bit of jargon. The plant is an interspecific hybrid (a cross between two species of begonia), so an "x" is used in the name to indicate its hybrid origins. While this has no legitimacy with begonia taxonomists, some sources are using the name Begonia x hybrida as a catchall name for this hybrid.

The name Dragon Wings is a bit confusing. Chatter amongst members of the American Begonia Society indicate that a plant was registered in 1985 and named Christmas Candy by Mable Cowin, a hobby breeder working with shrub type begonias. From photos on the web, Christmas Candy seems almost identical to what we call Dragon Wings begonia.

In 1992, Brad Thompson registered, with the American Begonia Society, a cane-forming hybrid and called it Dragon Wings. This foliage plant is completely different than the flowering plant we find in the trade with the same name. Thompson's contribution to the story seems to be coming up with a nifty, marketable name.

In 1997, the lawyers at Burpee registered a trademark, and Dragon Wings became Dragon Wings®, but for a different plant, a hybrid of Begonia U014 x, an unnamed B. semperflorens (wax begonia) cultivar. It's unclear if Cowin's Merry Christmas is the same cross as Burpee's Dragon Wings Red, but they're certainly very close. Dragon Wings seeds are produced by PanAmerican Seed Company, a division of the Ball Seed Company, which also owns Burpee. The company thought they had a hit on their hands so pulled out all the stops to promote the plant with greenhouse growers and gardeners.

Begonia U014 was a then unidentified cane-forming begonia from Argentina . Early on, it was suspected to be as a form of the Angel Wing Begonia ( B. coccinea ) but now appears to be a different species called B. descoleana that was identified in 1950 from material collected in Brazil .

To cross successfully, plants must have the same number of chromosomes and enough base pairs in common so that their DNA will match successfully. Dragon Wings apparently is a good match but not perfect.

Interspecific hybridization is a common way for breeders to introduce new traits into plants. If the hybrid is closely enough related to produce viable seeds in the F2 generation, the characteristics can be fixed using inbreeding techniques. If they're too distantly related to produce seed, as is the case here, they can be maintained as a hand pollinated F1 hybrid. If seed production is not the main means of reproduction, these interspecific hybrids can be propagated by cuttings.

Dragon Wings' sterility is good for both the gardener and the seed company. For the gardener, sterile plants never develop seeds and keep flowering in an unfruitful attempt to procreate. For the seed company, it's good, because the only way seeds can be produced is to make the cross by hand and harvest the seeds, thus guaranteeing a lock on the market for this unique plant. Because the seeds are costly to produce, they sell for about 10 cents each to wholesale growers.

Dragon Wings begonia, named an Arkansas Select plant in 2001, grows in sun or shade. It's usually not available until late spring in the garden centers, and then most growers offer it in larger container sizes. It's a big plant, so give it plenty of room.

Like all begonias it does best in fertile, well-drained but never dry, organic soil. To keep it growing throughout the summer, make sure it is fertilized with some regularity. Dragon Wings thrive on the heat and humidity of an Arkansas summer.

By: Gerald Klingaman, retired
Extension Horticulturist - Ornamentals
Extension News - August 27, 2004

Goodness, sorry about above - very long! Ok, I have good updates I think!!
{{gwi:430463}}

{{gwi:430464}}

{{gwi:430465}}

They're growing they're growing they're growing!!!

And here's the other two trays:

{{gwi:430467}}

The last 'disaster' tray is pulling along, I'd say may be 15 plants will be SAVED!! sorry no picture!

That was a good read ,Tom. I didn't know about the origins of Mabel's "Christmas Candy". Your begonias are getting big, and the impatiens have true leaves now. Are you breathing a sigh of relief that they got through all the high humidity and transplanting? It's been warm enough here that I put a few baskets together of begonias, impatiens, and wave petunias. I bought two plants each of three begonias that I haven't grown before and three each of three impatiens that are new to me. Have you ever grown Bonfire? The other begonias are Sinbad and Bellfire, I'll be searching the forum for info on the three. Anita

Hi,

Thanks for the interesting article, Tom. Anita, I am going to the nursery today to get the Fertilome fertilizer. I just took this picture of two of my Dragonwings started last January and I am concerned they may never bloom.
{{gwi:430470}}

Betty, they're just young. As healthy as they look once they start blooming they are going to be breathtaking. I noticed how well branched yours are, maybe they're slow because they are making so much plant right now. That looks like a lot of plant for the pot, maybe they need more root room. Hopefully Butch will see your post and add his take, he's way more experienced with begonias than I am. I wouldn't worry too much with plants that look like yours. Anita

Hi Anita,

I purchased the Fertil-lome fertilizer yesterday. This morning I saw two buds forming--so exciting. I will post pictures when they are fully out.

You bought the fertilizer one day and they were forming buds the very next day!?? I gotta get me some of that fertilizer! ha ha ha!

Hi Tom and Anita.

Here is a picture of the new buds forming--so exciting! Thanks a million for all of your help. Tom, my babies from Hazzard Seeds are also taking off.
{{gwi:430472}}

Hi, Tom & Betty, and all, I've started putting plants out but not in the ground yet.Have you ever read Boca Joe's thread about the Bonfire begonias? It's just above this one, you have to see his Bonfire that he grew last year, it's almost 5 feet long coming out of a hanging basket.As soon as I saw that last week I went to the nursery and got a couple of them(and others that begged me to buy them).Tom, when will you be able to start putting your DW's in the ground? I'm zone 6a and usually the third week of April the weather warms enough to get really dirty here. Do you try to do all of them in one weekend or do you take longer? I don't see how you fit all of them in your home and then you have the Imps too. I speant a lot of time the last couple of days covering then uncovering my hostas and ferns and perenniels. We got a freeze two nights in a row.Then I drug all of my tender potted plants back in, then out again today. Betty, those begonias were just hiding their little buds from you.

Hi Anita,

The Bonfire Begonia is lovely and I cannot believe it is 5 feet long. I am going to pot up some of my containers this weekend. I started around 24 geraniums from seed last January and one is about to bloom. I honestly do not have room for all of them and may just give many away. I overwintered a couple of geraniums and they got so huge, growing under lights that I gave them a major haircut and just stuck the cuttings in potting soil and did not expect them to do much. And they are all doing well. Tom, please post pictures after you plant your Dragon Wing Begonias.

Hi, Tom and Betty, would you two send me an e-mail so that I can reply to you off the GW? I tried to send Betty an e-mail from here but don't know if I'm getting through.It's about a begonia group. Anita

I don't know how you ladies get the patience to over winter
stuff in the house. I just don't have it in me. I keep
thinking I'd like to try, but by the end of the season I'm
pretty tired - I tried cuttings with the DW's last year but
I really just don't have the patience I think. None of
them made it. Plus I really don't have room and it's
enough to have all these plants in the house for as long as
they are already!! :)

Anita, I will not start putting anything in the ground
until about May 15th. I usually start around May 15th and
finish up around June 1st (Memorial day weekend) with my
tomatoes (30 varieties this year) and peppers. I'm one of
those weirdos that watch the moon cycle too... I know!
But I really hate to lose anything after I've had them in
the house for 4-5 months (for some). So I probably wait
longer than I need to - but I'd rather be cautious... So
it's a two week process. I will take 2 days or so off of
work to try and get it all in during that two week time -
otherwise it's an hour or so after work at night and
weekends for me.

I'm still scraping frost off my windshield in the AM...
although my better half put my begonias into the direct
sunlight yesterday for 2 hours... I nearly had a fit! Ah,
he tries!

Time IS a real issue for me - I work full time and have two
children (3 and 5) so getting to it all is difficult...
And I live on a lake with a 3 & 5 year old so it's a
Miracle I get ANYTHING done! I have to watch them like a
hawk. I think I told ya, I had a sprinkler system put in
and I am thrilled I won't be spending time watering this
year like I did last year.

I'm very much looking forward to the queen series. They
will go out in one of the beds...

My imps are finally looking decent:

{{gwi:430474}}

{{gwi:7457}}

My DW's are topped off with their size - they won't get
much bigger - sorry I'll send a picture tomorrow... And
the queens are looking SWEET! I'm really excited about
starting something new!

Hi, I just got home with 4 more Bonfire begonias. I have a huge oval planter that is going to be their new home. Hopefully they'll fill it without me having to buy more plants. Anita

Hi Anita,

That is exciting about your Bonfire Begonias and be sure and post pictures. I went to quite a few nurseries yesterday and saw them in Hanging baskets for around $20, but I have already spent too much and will just enjoy yours. I am going to plant flowers today in my yard and start on the pots. Thanks for the two emails.

Tom, where are your tomatoes? Your imps are looking way better than when you first transplanted them. Mine have been going in and out without the growlights and have grown so leggy I'll probaly have to cut them back hard. Have you ever grown the Peach Butterflies? They're my favorites, but I think this will be the last year I grow them from seed because they aren't hard to find or expensive anymore.So where are you going to grow your Queens, ground or container? Betty, I just got the "Now you know I'm retiring and we have to budget" speech AGAIN. I haven't told him that my rose society's annual auction is next Sunday or that I've already ordered more roses!!! Anita

Anita, the toms are intermingled with the other plants:
{{gwi:430476}}
{{gwi:430478}}
{{gwi:430480}}

{{gwi:430482}}
I have 4 trays of 36 tomatoes. I'll give over 1/2 away.
I just transplanted them so they're still looking a little
unhappy... :)

I'm on the hunt for other begonias - you gals mentioned
bonfire... and others have mentioned other begonias and
I've been on the hunt, but there's nothing in the nurseries
right now - real heavy duty planting won't occur around
here until close to the end of May.

My new guineas I think look great:
{{gwi:430484}}

{{gwi:430485}}
Other imps are coming along:
{{gwi:430486}}

I'm working on the bags right now - they look horrible - so
I'm refusing to take pictures to show you THAT! But once
they get over the transplantation shock, I'll send along
some pictures.

The peach butterfly. I grew them last year - I grow the
larger varieties. My peach butterflies were 'envoy'. The
fella who gave them to me (we have an impatien swap -
although he got a lot of dragon wing begonias last year -
something that won't happen this year!) he did not like
them - they didn't hold up for him - he has a hedge like I
do and they just didn't produce nicely for him. I thought
they were ok. I put them in an area that was not optimal.
I loved the color though.

So I have ONE tray of dragon wings left. One tray got
destroyed by the hubby thinking he was helping:
{{gwi:430487}}
He put them out for "only 2 hours" in the direct sunlight.
LOVELY!

Thankfully the other tray is fine - but it's still quite
a blow... I started 250 and I'm ending up witn nearly
nothing! Ugh Uhg Ugh! I wish I lived in the area of the
country Butch does with the cheap DW's!

The queens (I transplanted this weekend) I ended up with
almost 2 trays of 36...
{{gwi:430488}}

These might make up for the DW's disappointing year. (though the 'disappointing year' is through no fault BUT my own...)

There's the update - on a lot more than just begonias!

Tom, last July I had to move one of my favorite roses and while I was getting the new hole ready my husband offered to help. I'm picky about a new house for a plant so I sent him to bring me the rose. I'd dug very carefully to keep a nice rootball on it. When he got to me he showed me how he'd knocked all the dirt off for me. I cried. I didn't lose it , but even this spring it looks like it just went into the ground.I told him if he ever touched my garden again I'd work on his Harley, so he's kept his distance. Your poor begonias looked pathetic, but don't throw them away because if they have a good enough root system they may be able to get cut back and start up from the base.I feel so bad for you, you have put so much time and effort and money and just so much of yourself into them and ran into so many obstacles. I'm glad that your imps and tomatoes look so healthy. Are you going to change your plan or buy more of the dragon wings? Anita

He really thought he was helping... I was complaining
about not getting enough sunlight from the windows and
sliders, so he really thought he was doing good... He was
VERY offended when I told him "Don't help!" but yes, I was
very upset... I'm trying to keep myself from getting too
upset... I'm not sure what I'll do. My problem is I've
promised plants to people. My impatien friend (the swap
person) said he'd be happy with 12 of my new guineas
instead of a tray of DW begonias - so I'm thankful
there... but then another friend saw the begonias last
year and is anxious to have a bunch of his own. I want to
give him a tray of them but I only have ONE tray left! So
may be I'll give him 1/2 a tray. 18 plants will fill a
good size area for him. Ugh ugh ugh! I'm hoping that I can
use the Queen Begonias in place of the dragon wings, but
chances are they won't look nearly as stunning - and they
were SOOOO indestructable... I mean I had the sprinkler
guy TRASH several and they popped back bigger and better than
before. Uhg. I don't know what I'll do.

The one time I did lose it - cried - last year I put in all
my imps... they were in for about 2-3 weeks... I came home
and they were all laying over on their side - like a big
wind came through and knocked them all over. They were all
'pointing' towards the neighbors house (on the other side of
the fence). Clearly he had had a company come in and clear
leaves... but I just couldn't figure out why my plants would
be knocked over in such a way... It didn't make sense. I called
the hubby. He came home shortly there after and I was in
tears. I couldn't even look at the plants! I didn't want to
even go outside - all my work over the winter/spring - I planted
Hmmm - approximately 360 plants - and they were all laying
over on their sides - looking pretty dead... My husband inspected
the area and realized that the leaf cleaning people had come
over to OUR side of the fence and blew the leaves into his
yard to clean them. In doing so they took their leaf blowers
to my brand new babies 2-3 weeks in the ground AND killed the
bleeding hearts and maidens hair ferns I had planted. I was
horrified. The neighbor came home I pounced on the man - he
hired the dang company! He refused to do anything! He refused
to call the company - he fluffed it off... We were brand new
neighbors! Ugh! Anyway I did lose it... I cried... HOWEVER,
since my lovelies had a few weeks in the ground I watered the
heck out of them and low and behold they came back! And they
are the ones above along the fence! So plants are very tolerant
(thankfully!)... Anyway, the company ended up replacing the
perennials (there was no replacing the annuals since I grew
them myself!) so they made it better, but our relationship
with our neighbor has never been the same.

I'm not sure what I'll use to replace the DW though. They
really looked spectacular. The picture I think there were
a little over 72 plants there... it's a 20' by 5' area...
I really could put in a lot less since they spread so well -
but the area was DESIGNED for them - it was a perfect amount
of sun and shade... I'm not sure WHAT I'll do... Suggestions?

Tom, I don't think the Queens will fill out like the DWs, Mine grew tall, but they were in full shade. It seems like the sun would make them shorter and stouter. Just a thought, I may be wrong. Anita

{{gwi:430489}}

tom,

So sad about your loss. Here is a picture I just took of 3 of my Dragon Wing Begonias from Hazzard Seeds. I am now repotting around 60 that made it out of 100 seeds planted. If there is a way to ship them to you, you can have most of them, as I have no room for them. Let me know--I live in Louisville, Ky. My Dragon Wing Begonias are doing great under the high intensity lights and I have already planted 6 of the ones that survived from one package of Burpee Seeds. I want to keep a few for pots but you are welcome to the rest--if there is a right way to ship them. I guess I could remove them from the pots, in a couple of weeks and wrap them gently in bubble wrap or something like that.

Betty

I'm sitting here proud as a peacock 'cause I'm so ingenious. I was planting the Bonfires into a big planter, but they have been inside since Saturday when we got a cold spell. I was worried about sunscald and trying to figure out what to do to harden them off because the planter is too big to handle. I cut pieces of a bush and put them in the planter to shade the plants today and hopefully as the branches wilt the begonias will get more and more sun. I know, I should have hardened them off before I planted them, but I'm so behind that I'm rushing some things. Anita

Ah, yes, it was a loss. I looked at the tray this AM... a few might make it...

Betty, thank you so much for your offer, but I'll think I'll pass. I very much appreciate it, but I'm taking this opportunity to try some other begonias (I hope). Also, I'm sure (like me) you'll have people lining up for those DW - yours are just BEAUTIFUL!!!! You can plant them in a bed Betty - they won't go to waste! Thank you SO much - your offer is so very generous. Thank you.

I started a tray of Amaranthus - these can be a back up for the area if I can't find something that I really love to replace the Red DW's.

Anita, that IS a great idea. I wish I was planting... While driving into work this AM I saw FROST on some of the neighbors grass and pansies! Unbelieveable! I've been frost free for a few days because the lake keeps me warmer... I'm jealous you folks are planting already.

I had a little surprise this morning that I just had to share...

Queen:

{{gwi:430490}}

Tom,

That is exciting!! Post a picture when it is fully open. I have been busy planting in the yard and last evening cut down 7 Arborvitaes that were not doing well. Now I have to dig up the roots and will then have another area in which to plant my Dragon Wing Begonias. I saw a beautiful Baby Wing Begonia like the picture of the one Anita posted, and I am still debating about purchasing it. It is in a hanging basket and around $20 and so beautiful.

Betty, that was Kioni who posted pictures of the Baby Wings. I grew them from seed last year and they did horribly for me so I haven't mentioned them. Those and a white Dragon Wing were on my screened patio last summer and I think it wasn't bright enough for them because they didn't look anything like Kioni's plants. Gosh, Betty, my back hurts just hearing about the Arborvitaes! Tom, your little Queen is a gem. Get ready, because once they start blooming they don't stop. I think it's full swing into warm season now, I have all of the seedlings out and planted. We had one really cold night last week and my husband Butch(he doesn't like Alvin) and I shuffled everything in and out probably for the last time. Anita

Hi Anita,

Oh, I thought that was your Baby Wing Begonia. I dug up all the Arborvitae roots in one and a half hours yesterday. They were around 7 feet tall and 8 years old. I had bought them at a grocery store for around $10 each. They all fell to the ground last winter, during an ice storm. I had someone look at them a few weeks ago, and he said that the problem was ---they had 4-5 trunks for each tree instead of one. Well that is what I get for buying them at a grocery store and not really knowing to look at trunks anyway. I also planted good quality Arborvitaes across the back of my fence about 3 years ago and they have one trunk and are doing well. I cut all 7 of them down in 35 minutes. I finished the bed last evening---I work very fast. That bed is now ready for my Dragon Wing Begonias, which I have to harden off slowly.
Glad you got all your seedlings out. I will enjoy your pictures. I received seeds from Monica in Denmark yesterday--that is exciting.

Quick update: The second tray of begonias my hubby had in the sun (that I thought would make it) didn't. They slowly started to look unhealthy, then they looked sunburned, and now they're just a mass of stems. I'm hoping that the stems will start leafing out, but it's pretty doubtful. The other tray must have been MORE in the sun because it just DIED - no stems to try and leaf out or anything.

A update on the queens - they looked pink to start with, but as the buds age they look more RED. THey're looking healthy, but small. I'm going to try and put them in the flower bed where I had the dragons last year. Butch seems to think they might make it there just fine - and Butch is the pro when it comes to these things... They haven't opened fully to see the double bloom, but as soon as it does you can bet, I'll get a picture.

The New Guineas are starting to bud - look fantastic.

Some of the bags are looking good - others are teetering on the edge of death... they seem to be having transplantation shock... and never quite get over it.

Imps are looking good in the trays.

Not much more to update - I'll take some pictures soon!

Take care all, and happy gardening!

Hi Tom, I've been busy as all get out! Everything in the house and cold frame was planted either in the ground or in pots and the begonia houseplants are all on one or another of my patios. I found a semp that is gorgeous last week, it's the bi-colored Patriot. It's kind of fuzzy but it's definitely a semp. I put two in a pot and added them to the menagerie on the covered patio. I figure this weekend we'll take the cover off the pool and it's the last week of school for the grandkids so the backyard is offically "open". Do you use a transplant helper or liquid hormone when you pot your impatiens? I always use one or a bloom booster plant food to encourage the roots. If you can get your hands on some Super Thrive it might help with the bags. I know what you mean about Butch, when I need help I always hope him or Greg S. will respond to my queries. It's really quiet at my begonia Yahoo group this week because they all went to the begonia convention in Texas. My Butch promised to take me next year to the one in Palm Beach, Fla. This will be a good one, I'm taking a Harley rider to a flower convention, it'll be interesting. Anita

As I'm sure you can all guess I've been busy trying to
transplant all my babies! I took several days off work and
took 6 days to transplant all the plants. Now I'm replacing
any that might have expired or been run over by the neighbors
Huskimute... I'm also WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEDING! UGH!

I took on making my own fountain - I'll send along pictures -
what a project that turned out to be! And then we did a bathroom
remodel...

The NG imps are looking good. My white, salmon and red star
imps are looking good...

Its dawned on me (ok, I'm not the sharpest knife in the
drawer) that the bags might be having 'trouble' because I'm
using a different variety imp - They're looking skimpy -
so, we'll see - when I get to downloading stuff on photobucket
I'll attach some pictures next time...

but most importantly - the begones are looking good. :)

I think the Harley and the Begonia convention are perfectly
suited (coming from a motorcycle driver myself)... :)

I'll keep 'super thrive' in mind.

Ok, I'm back on/off the begonia bandwagon!!! :)

Finally found time to load some pics... (however bad they may be):
Queen:
{{gwi:429983}}

New Guineas:
{{gwi:430491}}

{{gwi:430492}}

Imps:
{{gwi:430493}}

Last years:
{{gwi:708}}

New Imp bed this year WAS going to be a dragon wing bed:
{{gwi:430494}}

Amaranthus (Joseph's coat): (experiment)
{{gwi:430495}}

Hi, Tom! I can see how busy you've been with your flower beds. The imps look like they are really taking off, especially the New Guineas. Are you happy with your Queens? My Bonfires and Bellfires are blowing me away, I'm glad I tried them. There's another that I tried this year, the Patriot with the picotee flower, that I'm in love with too. The amaranthus is going to blow people away with it's lava looking foliage. I have some that are going to die if I don't get them in the ground. They are called Love-lies bleedings and are different than yours. When you get a chance will you help me put some pictures on this thread? I put them in a photobucket account and don't know how to get them in a post. I'll make an album in the photo section , that seemed like it's pretty simple. I have a lot of garden pictures that I'm anxious to show off!! Anita

Anita, feel free to e mail me, I'm happy to give you a hand with putting on a picture - VERY easy... abby.baker@state.ma.us.

As for the 'queen' begonias, I've been not liking them so much - they look like an average begonia that one could buy at home depot HOWEVER, in the last week or so they've really started to look better. I'm sorry I haven't taken a picture of them recently. I will tonight.

I'm TRYING to post my progress on the Impatien forum on the imps - so you can check that out at your leisure...

Feel free to e mail me, Anita.

Take care, and I'll post a pic of the begonias soon...

Pics of the queens:
{{gwi:430496}}

{{gwi:430497}}

{{gwi:430499}}

They're doing well, I'd say... considering I started them pretty late...

Anita, I grew Love Lies Bleeding a few years ago at my old residence and they were very interesting... but I went back to the Joseph's Coat. I probably won't grow them again, though. I think the area I have them in is just too 'good'? I know they like dry conditions and they're right under the sprinklers...

I've got something tearing up my NG Imps too - driving me to drink! Like I need an excuse.

I think I'm going to stick with the Dragon Wings in the future... although, I DO like the NG imps too - might do both... :)

Take care!

Better pics of the queens:

{{gwi:430500}}

{{gwi:430501}}

{{gwi:430502}}

{{gwi:430503}}

Seed pods (I am not used to these since I've been growing DW's) they're pretty in and of themselves!

{{gwi:430504}}

Thanks!

Queens are getting bigger!!

{{gwi:716}}

{{gwi:718}}

{{gwi:429984}}

How is everyone else doing???

Hey Abs, how did your plantings go this summer? Anita

Gee Anita, sorry I have not been checking this forum lately.
I've been busy checking and posting on another. I didn't
do real well this year. The queens did great, but I don't
think they were worth the price (they looked too much like
the regular semps I can start for a penny a peice. I've
decided to go back to the red dragon wings and not mess with
any others... I got my stokes catalog yesterday. PSYCHED!
Anyway, I saved seed and got some other seed from a friend
and I will plan to start those and see what comes of them.
I'm excited because in all cases they were hybrids... could
be a complete dud or very exciting! :)

On another note - my other interests - tomatoes did quite
well compared to others with the weather challenges we had..
some of my favorites:
{{gwi:430505}}
{{gwi:430506}}
{{gwi:430507}}
{{gwi:430508}}
Weird looking but a GREAT tomato!
{{gwi:430507}}
I will remember this year for the weirdest blossoms I've
ever seen (mega blossoms):
{{gwi:430509}}
{{gwi:430510}}
And my impatiens were a complete BUST. One bed did great
the other struggled all summer long. All the NG Imps did great. Really weird.
{{gwi:21614}}
{{gwi:715}}
the rest of the imps never looked any better than this:
{{gwi:430511}}
The area that thrived looked like this:
{{gwi:17377}}

This was the area I was most impressed with... Volunteers from
last year (gotta love mother nature):
{{gwi:720}}

we had the backyard destroyed and put in a patio.
Before:
{{gwi:20343}}
During:
{{gwi:430512}}

{{gwi:430513}}
Shoot, I don't have an after!

another non gardening note, we adopted a rescue dog:
{{gwi:430514}}
best decision we've made in a long while.

We'll see what next year brings.

Anita, (and others)
how did your plantings fair this year???

It's good to hear from you!! I killed my tomatoes this year. Tried to put some liquid calcium in the container and the very next day they all wilted. Don't use rose products on container plants. My begonias on the covered patio did great but the containers on the open patio just drowned and melted. The worst was a giant Looking Glass that was one of my pride and joys. We had too much rain too often and the canes just couldn't dry out once in a while. I am proud of the way most of my seedlings and cuttings grew, I'm actually getting a little collection going here. Hey, was that first tomato picture a Mr. Stripey? Do you know why the flowers doubled like that? You might have a sport that's the first ornamental tomato!!They were really pretty. Your New Guineas look beautiful. The imps in the ground looked like mine did in the pots. Then I got invaded by Cyclamen mites. I never saw them but Derick in Impatiens thought that's what the problem was. All of the impatiens, not just the busy lizzys, got thickened leaves and quit blooming. I don't know if I just got lucky or the mites don't like begonias 'cause they left them alone. So what's the story on the rescue dog? And WOW that patio overlooking the water is going to be wonderful. Anita

Mites!? Yikes! What a shame... my imps just drowned.
There was little I could do... They continued to bloom,
but they just looked SICK. I'm sorry to hear you had
trouble.

What's in your begonia collection so far? Did you ever
figure out how to post a picture?

The Mr. Stripey - good guess, but no. It's an Indian
Stripe. Someone sent me the seed and was shocked to find
it's degree of 'striping'. It has caused quite a stir to
those who like a striped tomato. This was my first
striped... And it tasted wonderful. Fully ripe it looked
more like this:
{{gwi:430515}}

I also grew another striped:
Berkeley Tie Dye:
{{gwi:430516}}
{{gwi:430517}}
It was a little too late for my garden though :(

I didn't have a banner year for tomatoes but it wasn't all
that bad either. I grow tomatoes for the taste - the
stripes are a BONUS!!!! There are actually many ornamental
tomatoes out there - or what I'd consider ornamental b/c
I think they taste terrible. Berkeley Tie Dye and Indian
Stripe are beautiful and taste real good too - Especially
the IS. Mmmm!

I'm a firm believer of neglect for tomato plants. I plant
in the ground (not containers) so that makes life
easier... but I don't spray, I don't fertilize, I don't
water... unless I absolutely have to... I do use a lot of
compost and what not so I can get away with it. My plants
were probably 7-8 feet tall this year...

Big tomatoes are directly related to the size of the bloom -
I consulted someone who is a lot more knowledgable than me
and she said that she believed that it was environmental -
she saw A LOT of mega blooms this year.

Oh, almost forgot this one - I'm not a fan of green-when-
ripe tomatoes but this one Cherokee Green was fabulous:
{{gwi:430518}}

Ok, completed patio pictures:
{{gwi:430519}}
{{gwi:430520}}
{{gwi:430521}}
{{gwi:430522}}
{{gwi:430524}}
All in all I thought it came out good. I hated that hill,
so this made it more functional.

The rescue pup came from Mississippi - I don't know any of
her history. She's approximately 2 years old - she shows
signs of abuse (timid and skiddish, scarfs her food, will
thief food, etc.) BUT she is the most lovey dovey pup! We
just love her. She's definitely a 'water dog'. Good thing!

{{gwi:430525}}
{{gwi:430529}}
{{gwi:430532}}

We adore her and would recommend rescuing a dog to anyone.
I can't imagine why someone would have let this dog go -
she clearly had had puppies - but she very close to a pure
breed (if not a pure breed - she'd be a chocolate/yellow
lab - her nose and eyes are the color of a chocolate, but
she is clearly yellow).

So that's the scoop on her!

Good to hear from you - and let's see some pictures!!!

:)