I am moving to a new home that will receive 5-6 hours of indoor sunlight and would like to grow some interesting begonias. In particular, I would like to locate a ‘Turkey Paw’ begonia which my brother has had in the past. It has very large maple-leaf shaped leaves. I am located 15-20 miles east of Cobourg.
I’ve been unable to locate any reference to ‘Turkey Paw’ begonias although I did find a ‘Tiger Paw’ begonia. Tiger Paw has rounded lobed leaves and blotches around the perimeter that give them a paw-like appearance. They are part of the Rhizomatous begonia group. Other groups of begonias include Rex, Tuberous and Stemmed varieties (which used to be called Fibrous Begonias). To further your search for interesting begonias, I have three suggestions:
- Look for an online, Canadian retail source by searching in your browser on ‘begonias, retail’.
- Check out the Landscape Ontario site for a list of garden centres in your area, along with contact information, so you can enquire about the availability of begonias.
- Contact the Canadian Begonia Society at: 70 Enfield Road, Toronto, M8W1T9, for recommendations on sources.
For information on types and care of begonias, The American Begonia Society has a website which is an excellent source of information, see link below.
Good luck with your search.