The Betulia Begonias

Begonia ‘Betulia Bright Pink’

We sell two kinds of Rieger Begonias: old school and new school. Old-school versions are the classic ‘Red Baron’, ‘Netja’, and ‘Nadine’ varieties that you know from way back—they have big flowers on big plants that drape. This review isn’t about those Riegers.

Rather, we are going to talk about the new school version: the Betulia series. Scaled down and straightened up, these Riegers sit halfway in-between the Wax and the Rieger Begonias in their looks. They have a smaller and tighter habit with semi-double flowers, smaller but more generous. They don’t drape and they don’t hang like their old school cousins. These Riegers are better suited for projects where size does matter, like combos, boxes, and landscape plantings. As a result, they fit into more decor work you find in both landscapes and interiorscapes.

Bright colors with sharp blotches are the hallmark of Pansy ‘Majestic Giant’

In the scheme of Pansies, the Majestic Giants are put into the extra-large flower category. They offer bigger blooms, bigger than Matrix or Delta, measuring almost four inches across the face of each flower. This is a good choice for retail or public works projects where people get up close to their Pansies.

Introduced way back in 1966, the cultivar has a lot of history so folks still recognize it as the classic Pansy from their childhood. Bold faces have sharp edges, the colors are clear and bright— and boy, these flowers are truly big. As you can see, Majestics are good at filling out large tubs, bowls, and planters that need that first touch of color.

Each Pansy bloom measures almost four inches across the face

Majestic Giants like full sun the best, although they can handle partial shade thrown onto them without loss of color. Flowers sit about eight inches high in a typical bed, planted about ten inches apart from the crowns. They always bloom on cue, regardless of whether the spring is warm or cold.

If you support cut flower gardens you definitely should feature the Majestics. Plant them a little tight to each other—they develop twelve-inch stems that are stiffer than the usual Pansy stem. Flower freshness lasts the longest if the blooms are picked when the buds first start to open.

We sell Majestic Giant in two ways:

• Blotch Mix is sold in 1801L, 306 market baskets, and 6-inch trays.
• Formula Mix is sold in 1203 flats and 10-inch bowls.