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Begonia "Carnon Blackberry"




Photographed during spring, it has been in the greenhouse for too long, and is starting to suffer from fungal attacks on the leaves.

Over the last century of so, thousands of cultivars of Rex Group Begonias have been raised. In commercial production, they are often grown for "Mixed Foliage" trays, and often lose their cultivar names. As a consequence, I often find cultivars that I like for sale, but without names. To make my life easier while I try to track down their identity, I give them temporary names. The first word usually identifies the source, the second provides a descriptive element that I hope will be distinctive enough for me to remember the plant easily. I could have called this cultivar 201104-1, but I find it a bit too sterile and bloodless to prompt memory. In this case it came from Carnon Downs Garden Centre (on 20th November 2004). When I was a reckless youth, I took a handful of blackberries and crushed them in my hand and threw them at a friend - hence blackberry.