wind and rain.

I can see that i'm going to have a problem with the more delicate rhizomatous. I'll have to

protect them from the wind. Fourth floor, 1 mile from the ocean, there is usually a breeze, or a wind. The sun is starting to move overhead and become more direct. I'm going to have to find some protective plants. The papaya offers a nice umbrella, but i'm limited to one of those. I really don't have space for another large pot. I leaned over and took a look at the neighbors terrace, pretty much bare but they had some cat palms (couldn't be due to sun exposure- but they looked like them). I realized I didn't have any palms. I could easily slip one or two against the wall near banana. Maybe positioning so I could put bogie underneath. The other challenge I'm going to have is rain water running off of the tiles (over eaves).

Ideally, I could put one of the fancier rhizomes inside. I think the bright green have to be in indirect light. I pulled though then 'phoe cloe' out of a greenhouse. The bright green is so beautiful.

b.'Dopey' has bright interesting color patterns too, I do not think the colors would survive anything but indirect light. PHOE has all of their plants under light screening or they are in greenhouses. I don't even think the 'Caribbean Queen' is going to make the southern summer sun.. it's going to be a challenge. More later.

Selph's Mahogany?

Selph's indeed

Palm Hammock Orchid Estate has suggested that the erect rhizomatous pictured might be b. ' Selph's Mahogany. I then went to the ABS virtual greenhouse and looked up the picture of Selph's M. the blooms are the same structure and color, but the photo doesn't show the rhizome and on my plant the leaves are just a tad bit spiral whereas the ABS' isn't. Also the leaf on mine is smoother, almost like a beefsteak..

Here is how one nursery describes the begonia:

"large dusky leaves, red beneath, on strong rhizomes constantly attempting to grow upright until the forces of gravity (due to the heavy foliage) tweak them into graceful arches--beauty being in the eye of the beholder, and all that. This curosity can become a major presence, given time. A propagate-to-order item as essentially a collector's plant. "

I'll continue my research.

We went to PHOE on Saturday (1/29/2011) almost no canes. But a lot of very beautiful rhizomatous- they are having a 'begonia bloom festival' on 2/26. I bought a large pot of b.'Dopey' $65 and a 6" of b. 'Phoe's Cloe'.

I'll post asap.

Erect Rhizomatous Begonias

I bought a rhizome begonia from Jesse Durko's a month or so ago. I've been very excited to see how it's going to grow. There are 2 large stalks, will they just keep spitting out leaves going higher to just be leggy rhizomes. I noticed a small leaf at the base of the stalks and it seems that another rhizome is being born! I'm thinking that rhizomes might actually come out of the side of the erect rhizomes.

When I bought it was in a plastic pot, packed with a good deal of vermiculite keeping it too damp i think and the soil on the top was tight with roots. I repotted with looser soil and broke up the roots on the top.