Several people in the Yahoo Begonia group have helped me identify a begonia, i've had for about 5 years that i didn't know the name of: B. heracleifolia var. nigricans. It is a vigorous medium sized leaf rhimotous. Here is a description from the 'Plants Delights' nursery, who also call the plant 'the perennial hog-weed leaf begonia'. The plant in and out of bloom is a lot prettier than that name would suggest.
"This wonderful begonia was first discovered in Mexico in the 1830s, with the specific epithet referring to the leaves resembling the genus heracleum. Each 2' tall x 4' wide tightly rhizomatous clump is composed of 15" wide x 1' long maple-shaped leaves of medium green surrounded by a contrasting wide black-green border and held at the end of red-speckled leaf petioles. The common variety name "nigricans" should be used instead as a cultivar, since this represents a single clone and not a distinct natural variety.
It's always satisfying to be able to know a plants name and in this case some of it's provenance.
Went to Jesse Durko's, a nursery in Davie, I wanted to buy a 'Joe Hayden' but they weren't looking too good. This is were I bought my fine Selph. He does have some great specimen begonias tucked in some shade that are impressive. Bought 2 pots of giant red shrimp plants. They are great shrubs and can handle part of the day in full sun.
Bamboo isn't looking so great. The leaf (?) tips are brown, don't know if it's because i'm not watering enough (the top of the soil under mulch is damp) or if it has some fungus or pest bothering it.
No comments:
Post a Comment