Begonias I Can't Grow

I'm posting this picture of a gorgeous display of tuberous begonias, even though it's the one type that I can't grow in the subtropics. Tuberous begonias require cool nights, and to say that we don't have them is an understatement. Except in the winter, of course, but by then the tubers are dormant. I believe that this picture was taken by Mike Flaherty, a superb grower in Santa Monica, California.

Tuberous begonia species were found in the highlands of South America and Asia. The nights are quite cool in the mountains, and that requirement remained, even after extensive hybridization. Parts of California and the Pacific Northwest, some of the mountainous areas of the US, and some parts of Australia can grow them. But the premier growers and hybridizers of tuberous begonias are in Scotland. I was fortunate to have met Hugh McLaughlin, of Edinburgh, who has been to many of our American Begonia Society conventions. He always gives a talk and slide presentation, showing off the dinner plate-sized flowers that he grows.