RE: was Begonia grandis 'Alba'?, now winter relief

Claire,
	I don't know if Begonia sutherlandii would be good for your indoor garden
or not.  I have always grown mine outside and it does go dormant there.  It
is a pretty little thing tho and would be worth the try.  I grow lots of
Begonias & Gesneriads in my house in a small light garden.  It is 3 shelves
that hold 6 trays of small plants.  There are many mini species & cultivars
of both genera.  If they get too big, they must go out to the GH.
 Since am not heating my GH this winter, the large Begonias and hanging type
Gesneriads out there are looking pretty sad.  They would much rather be at
50 F minimum instead of the 30s and 40s (at night) they are getting.  But
the rooted perennials cuttings and seedlings (once they appear) like it just
fine.  I keep Bougainvilla, Epi-cactus and tender Agave out there also.  If
we get a very cold spell, I will plug in the electric heaters.
I also have a skylight and a  "garden window" in my kitchen that is stuffed
full of Christmas Cacti, and a few other assorted house plants.  Really
large plants are on top of the refrigerator under the skylight.  Let's just
say, there are way too many plants in here......but that doesn't even count
the grow light set up in basement where I start seeds and all the dormant
potted (summer) bulbs that are spending the winter down there.
We don't have the cold here, but we certainly have a lack of light from
November - March.  When it is sunny in winter (very good), it is windy (not
good).  But unless it is raining hard, I can usually get at least an hour or
two of exercise out in the garden.  I am still deadheading and
pruning....preparing for the 7 yards of mushroom compost that will be spread
next month.
When visiting Saskatoon Saskatchewan a few years ago, I was very impressed
with the glassed south facing rooms on the homes of every garden we visited.
Prized plants that we take for granted here in zone 8 are dug, potted and
brought inside to winter in these rooms.  Such beautiful gardens and glass
rooms in a very cold climate.  I don't know the zone, but it is a few
hundred miles north of Montana/North Dakota/Minn.  I remember they said it
is often -40F in winter.  Some of our Canadian writers could tell us the
zone.

There is nothing that cheers the heart more than the sight of a favored
plant in bloom during winter.

Marilyn Dube'
Natural Designs Nursery
Portland, Oregon


-----Original Message-----
From:	owner-perennials@hort.net [o*@hort.net] On Behalf
Of ECPep@aol.com
Sent:	Friday, January 10, 2003 10:04 AM
To:	perennials@hort.net
Subject:	was Begonia grandis 'Alba'?, now winter relief

the picture out the window shows up to eight feet of snow on the
valleys of the barn roof, icicles that would brain you if one fell on you
and
this snow insulating two or three feet of frozen soil.  There is ice
everywhere.  More snow will fall in the next three days.

 A lot of plants
are coming into bloom here and  it is very nice to visit them each morning
and see what's happening.

Some lighting is necessary as the sun never shines in
Dec-Jan-Feb.  All of the glass in the world is not a help with no light.

I have been in the UK quite a few times
and was inspired years ago by the many contrivances for indoor growing.
Passing around
some suggestions might be a good thing to do in January.

Claire Peplowski
NYS z4

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