Foliage Begonias

Recent blogs have shared my obsession with foliage coloration and this "begonia blog" is no exception. Many begonias are selected for foliage as the primary consideration like 'Jurassic Green Streak' seen above. Great in partly shaded locations, particularly containers, these tender plants can offer so much in terms of not only leaf coloration but form and texture. They are great as "stand alone" features but also blend well with other neighbors in the bed, border or container. The parentage of many of these is elaborate and confusing to me as well but these named varieties are out in the marketplace and may have merit in your home landscape. Most will also form flowers but they are secondary to the foliage or at most, complimentary. I participate in a Facebook group about begonias and am constantly amazed and inspired by what I'm seeing primarily with these foliage begonias. This Jurassic Series shown in this blog looks very exciting!

We had some great help today with a strong Grumpy turnout. Ron Y., Dave, Jim and Vern continued on some carpentry help with assistance from Bob K. Bob K. also did some last minute tweaking out in the Holiday Lights Show (HLS) prior to it starting up again tomorrow night! We have eight nights left of the HLS and are looking forward to lots of guests enjoying this unique experience. Pat worked on some indoor HLS tasks while Larry and Bill turned on the entire HLS to check for any problems. The paths have dried out and the cooler temperatures have equated to the show being ready to rock and roll. Maury ran errands for us and Janice came in to work on the 2015 Thomas Jefferson Collection. We also saw Rollie and many others. I had a lot of meetings today so I'm sure I missed some arrivals and departures but we continue to transition in to our winter mode which will include starting to take down the HLS in only 18 short days! Enjoy the cool begonias below.