スーパーの帰りにJAに寄ったら、普及品扱いのリーガーベゴニアが売られていました。先月までベゴニアというものを育てたことのなかった私にとって、「リーガーベゴニア」というのは従来品種よりもプレミアム付きの印象だったので、この苗が150円とは非常にお得に思えました。いったい生産者は利益を出せているのか心配になるほどの値段です。しかも、私の好みのハデハデ。朱色がかった蛍光色の八重咲きです。
On my way home from the supermarket, I looked into the JA and saw some Rieger begonia plants being offered like common begonias. I had never grown begonias until I bought the first one last month, so my knowledge about them is almost none. However, I always regarded Rieger begonias to be a class above the common begonia. So, when I saw this one priced at 150 yen (about US$1), I could not believe it. Does the grower make any profit at all? Moreover, the flowers of this plant is indeed to my taste - showy with fluorescent brightness and double petals.
５月１日に買った最初のリーガーベゴニアは、現在 玄関前に置いてあります。
The first Rieger begonia that I bought on 1st May is placed by the porch door.当初の花は大きかったけど、後続のはしょぼしょぼの花柄で、従来品種の花のほうが大柄なくらいです。でも、この苗の花は曇りの日でも夜でも閉じないところが長所。
The initial flowers were large and beautiful, but later flowers are miserably small. In fact, flowers of the 3 common begonias are even larger than this Rieger begonia's. On the positive side, the flowers of this plant do not shut on a cloudy day or at night.
従来品種は３株あります。どれも買ったときは直径９センチのビニールポット入りだったのを、直ぐにナイフで分割して植え付けました。ひと月も経っていないけど、今ではかなり大株に育っています。
I now have 3 common begonias. Each one of them came in a tiny 9 cm pot, and I cut and divided the plant into several pieces before replanting in a larger pot. In less than a month, they have all grown a lot and their pots are beginning to look too small.
早朝散歩から帰ったときはまだ晴れていたので花が開いていましたが、空が曇りになるにつれて花が閉じ始めました。
When we returned from our early morning walk, the sun was out, and the flowers were open. As the morning progressed, it became cloudy, and the flowers began to close.
この苗は買ったときから草丈が数センチしかなく、直径30センチの浅鉢に植え付けるときは７個に分割しました。今も親指姫みたいな状態ですが、鉢いっぱいに増えてきたので愛着がわいています。奥に写り込んでいるのは、
This plant was less than 10 cm tall when I bought it, and I divided it into 7 pieces before planting it in a shallow 30 cm pot. It has remained a dwarf type, but it has spread all over the pot, and I am quite fond of this plant. The red berries in the back are
ローガンベリーのワイマテです。早生品種で、毎年カメムシが登場する前に収穫できるので優秀です。
Waimate Loganberry. It is an early-ripening variety, and harvesting is done before the appearance of stink bugs.
さっそく直径21センチのダオン鉢に植えつけました。植物は大きな鉢に植え替えると急に立派に見えるのが鉢増しの楽しみです。見方を変えれば、よくあんな極小ポットでここまで育ったものだと思います。
I planted this morning's Rieger begonia in a 21 cm pot. It is fascinating to see that when a plant is promoted to a larger pot, it suddenly looks grand and handsome. It is also amazing to think that this plant was hitherto growing in that miniscule pot.
私のカメラでは、蛍光色の花はボケてしまいますが、実物は本当に綺麗な八重咲きの花です。リーガーベゴニアは２株しかありませんが、私が見た限りでは曇りの日でも花が閉じないようなので嬉しいです（この八重が閉じるのは物理的にムリ？）。
My camera cannot capture fluorescent flowers, but the actual flowers are quite pretty with double petals. I only have two Rieger begonias, but judging by them, it seems that their flowers do not close when the sky becomes cloudy (it looks physically impossible for these double petal flowers to shut).
玄関前はバルコニーの軒下になるので、不要な雨水に当たらずに済みます。
This spot is underneath the upstairs balcony, so the plants can avoid unwanted rainwater.
見ているうちに益々愛着がわいてきました。うちは花が少ないので、ほぼ通年 花が咲くベゴニアは有難い存在になりました。
The more I look at it, the more I become fond of it. Since I do not grow many flowers, begonias will be valuable plants as they keep flowering almost throughout the year.
