Growing them well

Just look at how large the leaf is. 

Begonia collecting strategy: Practice self control & stop acquiring on sight; keep range narrow but grow them big. That idea has come to me after another visit to OJ's. She has 3 species only: U400 (I got starter leaf from her), one flat round (unknown to me) and this one prominently featured in this post (again the name is unknown to me). There's also B. Martin's mystery which I've excluded seeing it provides little challenge to grow. 

Can you spot U400 and other other flat one? That's because they're both sorry sights looking undecided whether they should live on or not. The third one on the other hand is a different story and takes up the place of pride, rightly so, in an otherwise unkempt garden plot. The size of some of the leaves is impressive. 

Here's the idea: focus on growing my begonia plants big and well; and not acquiring more diversity. Frankly, my present range is already wearing me out and at the brink of being unsustainable. I shall endeavour to simply admire the collections of other hobbyists and enthusiasts online (as well as offline) while nurturing and cultivating what I have in size and stature. 

Now what I need is a theme for my streamlined collection. Any ideas...?

Luxuriant and full of character. Discovered name would be B Popenoi.

Standing out with unusual leaf patten and stem growth - B. Popenoei. 

Generally fuss-free and undemanding of attention. No shortage of new leaves emerging.

My ongoing attempts to grow this one. Baby steps.

Confession: I've been at this same stage for ages. The pot hasn't changed. Are there ways to make it grow faster and bigger?

Latest attempt to grow from rhizomes. Notice the pink coloured knob? Looking promising.

Irresistible

Couldn't help myself. Made a beeline for the begonia plants as soon as I got to the plant bazaar last Saturday. Fortunately there were only two stalls with them.  A positive about the plants is that they are locally grown species acclimated to local conditions. A negative is that they don't look as vibrant as they could.

But hey...I'm not complaining cuz coming away with 5 little pots was more than I planned. Still I hope I do better with them and maybe I might even put them back on sale and get some money back and bring delight to another fellow hobbyist. However as one stall holder Mr Tan Eng Ong pronounced, being a plant hobbyist is a loss making venture. His long suffering wife was there to make sure he cleared the stock and not bring more back.

The sight of B Gryphon sent a thrill through me. I had to have it. The red one (tbd) was to replace the one that I got from Chatuchak market (at a fraction of what I paid for yesterday), but hadn't survive the trip home. These two came from seller Abby Lim from whom I bought B Mazae at previous bazaar. 'Super-easy' she says it is for her. She just puts in the pot and 'my gardener' just waters it. For background, she farms her plants at her workplace; I gather it must be a big complex with grounds and regular gardener. 

Three species here, two more common than the third speckled one. But all growing from the stems. What do you call such begonias that are not rhizomatous? These came from the kindly Mr Tan. It looks as if he grows them in the ground and then breaks some up into pots come the bazaar. He was selling B Martin Mystery for $3 per small pot compared to Abby who wanted $12 (!!!) per slightly bigger pot. His pots ran quickly; hers would probably sell over the course of the day and I believe she brings her prices down as crowd thins. Anyway, I am happy to support all gardening enthusiasts who continue to inspire and who make new begonia species available to me. (Update: the light green peltate shaped leaf is B. photoensis. Apparently it is native to Vietnam)

By the way, there were several more species which I resisted. And I don't even think about what I missed out on now. Perhaps I'm on the way to overcoming my mini-obsession.

Some tips from Mr Tan:
- he used ordinary 'black soil' (I'm really not sure black soil drains well enough)
- they prefer to be growing in pots placed in soil surface of garden (as in not on paved surfaces) as the garden environment provides conducive humid conditions
- stay away from chicken manure as it isn't suitable for any garden/house plants; use goat manure only
- snails - he just uses pink pellets that are purchased

Is the Begonia doctor in?

Is it my imagination, but B.Tiger Kitten isn't looking feisty at all. Just comparing the pictures and the leaves seem to have gotten progressively smaller and smaller. Help...what should I do or not do...?

When it was first brought home.

After 2nd re-potting

After 1st re-potting. On the other hand, the B.Shamus (in front) acquired at about the same time from the same stall at BP is doing wonderful. 

The long and short of it is that the B. Tiger Kitten is no more. After attempting a soil medium change, the entire plant disintegrated. I had to pick out the wilted pieces for the next few days after. Didn't take very long in fact. Not much else I could do. It was such a helpless situation The pot is still there with the contents. Giving it some time to see if a " phoenix rises from the ashes" as the Chinese mythical saying goes.

Eating out at 'Tum Jia Kuay'

yee-mian sar por, my favourite. Includes a chicken egg cooked inside the soup.

Claypot store with multiple burners

A family enterprise. Heartwarming. Just don't scrutinise hygiene standards.

Claypot chicken, no lap-cheong

Begonia close-ups

Turns out I have taken individual shots of my begonia collection. Not all of them but I can add the others later. 

Again names are drawn from Alvin's Journal at greengates.wordpress.com. Thanks Alvin, hope you're still at your begonia craze especially since it's so much easier, with Malaysia being the natural terrain for begonias.

Update (6 Oct): Have added more names and notes as well as absent status of certain ones

B.'Tiger Kitten' - this is no more

B.Black Velvet - this is fast becoming another 'no more'

B. manaus hybrid - looking better. found out it needs terrarium like conditions

B.Rex - this is no more as well.

B. Ice Castle - can tell from this earlier picture that this one is still doing very well. hope it stays that way.

B.masoniana 'Iron Cross' - must be one of the oldest in a collection and in fact pre-dates the craze. Actually it must be the first begonia I purchased. Earlier ones were given to me via leaf cuttings.

B.U400, dubbed a Singapore begonia, started as a leaf from OJ's garden

B.U400 (top); B.Hugh McLauren - this in slow rehabilitation

B.Rex Hybrid - needs repotting

B.Floccifera - can you flower more often?

B.Chloroneura

B.Mazae f. Nigricans - slowly getting there

B.Shamus - so far so good, the best actually. Pl keep it that way.

B. Brevirosa

B. Acetosa - purchased from Tiong Bahru market, with great determination

B. Fireworks - found out that the hybridiser is a certain Mr Kartuz

B. Silver Jewel - a difficult grow

B. Maurice Amey

Scenes from New Zealand

No, I didn't get to go on the two-week holiday but they did think of me since I received pictures periodically. Not quite crumbs but it's nice seeing them happy and enjoying themselves.

In Rotorua

Hobbit Town where LOTR was filmed.

Holiday Park in North Island

Probably Nelson in S.Island

A selfie by G

Somewhere in S.Island

Great expanse. Somewhere in S.Island

Collecting

Names of Begonia Foliage are compiled with helpful reference from Alvin's Journal at greengates.wordpress.com. Wonder how his collection is coming along. His last entry was in 2011.

From top: B.Shamus,  B.U400, B.Black Velvet (?)

From Top: B.Black Velvet(?), B.Corallina deLucerna, B.Tiger Kitten, B.Rex

Add caption

From Top: B.U400, B.Fairy(?), B.Tiger Kitten, B.Masoniana 'Iron Cross'

Unfortunately I'm not as comprehensive as I'd like to be given the limitations of the group picture compositions and the fact that I haven't found out all the names yet. Looking at the snaps, it's obvious that the arrangement and display of the pots need improving. It's a motley mix right now of plants surrounded by pots with leaf cuttings (under propagation) all cluttered together. I need a larger sheltered area quickly if I want to propagate.

And you know what. Begonias are finicky, fragile and temperamental,  prone to quick, sudden deterioration and death. I don't feel safe when it's a case of one-pot per begonia species. Hence, ongoing propagation is necessary to ensure their continued place in my collection. But truth be told, it hasn't been easy. Propagation takes effort, attention and lots of waiting time and hasn't often led to satisfying outcomes.

Hanging pots: B.Silver Jewel (inside) & B.Fairy(?)