by Don Miller

Start the New Year with a new green friend. Are you looking for something different in a houseplant? Begonias offer a wonderful variety in foliage and flowers.

Rhizomatous begonias are known for their beautiful foliage. One of the more popular varieties is 'Persian Brocade.' The bright green leaves have contrasting dark brown markings. Persian Brocade has a mounding growth habit and can be quite versatile. As the plant grows, the stems trail over the pot and can eventually cover the pot. If you want a more compact plant, you can always cut the stems back and the plant will branch out.

Another favorite among begonia collectors is 'Tiger Kitten.' This variety has smaller, milk chocolate brown leaves with light green markings. Or consider 'Leopon' - an exciting Japanese variety that has light green, star-shaped leaves with amber markings. Visit our tropical greenhouse and explore the many other varieties of begonias that you can choose from. There are so many interesting shapes, colors, and blooms!

Indoors, begonias like to grow in or near a bright window. Let them get slightly dry between waterings. They will grow better if you fertilize regularly with a water soluble fertilizer. Mix the fertilizer with water and apply about once a month.

Come out to our beautiful tropical greenhouse and stroll through the lush foliage. Select some new friends from the plant kingdom to take home and enrich your living environment. [Also, consider attending a Begonia Society meeting here at North Haven.]

As landscapes and gardens mature, one of the most noticeable developments is the loss of sun under maturing trees. Hostas are one of the mainstays of shade gardening in the Midwest and Northeast. The exciting news is that there are several varieties that will perform well here in North Texas. Following are the top ten hostas as rated by test plantings conducted in Tyler, Texas, starting with the 1998 growing season by Texas A&M University (TAMU) extension service and the City of Tyler. These hostas all rated 7 or better out of 10. Starting with the highest rated, here are hostas for our area:

The varieties that held up best in summer heat, keeping higher than 7 ratings all the way through September, were: So Sweet, Sugar and Crème, Blue Angel, Blue Cadet, and Royal Standard. The variety Albo-Marginata just missed the top ten list, mainly due to its turning completely green (losing its variegation) in the mid-summer heat

General hosta care should include shade from late morning to late afternoon sun, good drainage, lots of compost (30-50 percent in the
top foot of soil), regular water in hot weather, and treatment of slugs, snails and chewing bugs. Some people mistakenly believe that hostas
will grow in extremely deep shade, such as building alcoves under trees.
They do best with bright dappled sunlight such as under tall, thinned trees. They also do well with good indirect side light such as early morning sun or a northern sky exposure.