Don, an experienced chrysanthemum grower
of many years, and still an accredited judge, took up
begonia
growing five year ago. He lives in Little Stoke, South Gloucestershire
and has a 13’ x 8’ greenhouse which is now backed up by a newly
constructed shade house to the side.
He had intended to show for the first time in 2007 but
unfortunately he suffered from the dreaded mite and his plants were
wiped out. This year he took the precaution, as have many NBS members,
of using natural predators to eradicate this problem.
Don grows for blooms and we visited in early August, sandwiched
between the South Coast and South
West Shows that he entered. As a result there were only 5 blooms to view
as the others plants, shown the previous week at Portchester, had been
moved to the shade house and flowers removed.
After taking one picture, disaster befell. The camera went kaput.
However, we were able to catch up with the other blooms the following
weekend at Bideford where Don took cards, in addition to places in the
Novice and Intermediate section down at Portchester.
