We are a horticultural, non-profit society devoted to Begonia plants. We are based in Massachusetts, serving several New England states, the U.S., and the world. Welcome to our website!
Please click on the headers at the top of our web pages to move through our site. If you have any questions about our society or our website, please don't hesitate to contact us or click on the Contact Us link found on the menus at the very top of our web pages. Check out our social media links found at the bottom/footer of all of our web pages.
Please click on the headers at the top of our web pages to move through our site. If you have any questions about our society or our website, please don't hesitate to contact us or click on the Contact Us link found on the menus at the very top of our web pages. Check out our social media links found at the bottom/footer of all of our web pages.
Our Next Meeting
Our November 2021 meeting will take place Saturday, November 6, 2021, 9:30am-noon at the Christa McAuliffe Branch of the Framingham Public Library, 746 Water Street, Framingham, MA. 01701.
Socializing starts at 9:30am when the library opens and the meeting itself will begin at 10:00. Masks are required, and consistent with the Library’s mask mandate, no refreshments will be provided. As usual, member-propagated Begonias will be available for purchase. We meet in the Community Conference Room to the right of walking inside the first glass main door of the library.
In our program this month, Mike Mack will show us how he hybridizes begonias, step-by-step, and will bring us up to date on his hybridizing quest. We will have a Plant of the Month presentation on a species begonia, after.
Remember to take advantage of our in person meeting to bring a plant you may have questions about, or a creative idea you may want to share. An Ask and Share session will be available at the end of most meetings. The sale of member provided plants will take place from 9:30 to 10:00 and will continue after Ask and Share. Please join us for what promises to be an interesting and informative meeting as well as a wonderful opportunity to catch up on comings and goings of fellow begonia growers.
Please check your email for our latest Buxtonian Newsletter for details.
If you are not currently a member but would like to attend, please send us an email by clicking here and we will answer any questions or provide any additional meeting details for you.
Our November 2021 meeting will take place Saturday, November 6, 2021, 9:30am-noon at the Christa McAuliffe Branch of the Framingham Public Library, 746 Water Street, Framingham, MA. 01701.
Socializing starts at 9:30am when the library opens and the meeting itself will begin at 10:00. Masks are required, and consistent with the Library’s mask mandate, no refreshments will be provided. As usual, member-propagated Begonias will be available for purchase. We meet in the Community Conference Room to the right of walking inside the first glass main door of the library.
In our program this month, Mike Mack will show us how he hybridizes begonias, step-by-step, and will bring us up to date on his hybridizing quest. We will have a Plant of the Month presentation on a species begonia, after.
Remember to take advantage of our in person meeting to bring a plant you may have questions about, or a creative idea you may want to share. An Ask and Share session will be available at the end of most meetings. The sale of member provided plants will take place from 9:30 to 10:00 and will continue after Ask and Share. Please join us for what promises to be an interesting and informative meeting as well as a wonderful opportunity to catch up on comings and goings of fellow begonia growers.
Please check your email for our latest Buxtonian Newsletter for details.
If you are not currently a member but would like to attend, please send us an email by clicking here and we will answer any questions or provide any additional meeting details for you.
Begonia ferox, grown by Darrin Norton, received the First Place People's Choice Ribbon.
Our 2021 Begonia Exhibition and Plant Sale
Our 2021 Begonia Exhibition and Plant Sale held September 21, 2021 was a success thanks to all of the Buxton members who volunteered to register and stage plants, and coordinate and present our well attended demos.
While we did not hold a judged show, we had quite a few interesting begonia specimens to look at, and we awarded three entries First, Second and Third People's Choice Ribbons.
Photos of all of the entries on our 2021 Begonia Exhibition and Plant Sale are available here.
Below is a slideshow of various aspects of our Begonia Exhibition and Plant Sale.
Our 2021 Begonia Exhibition and Plant Sale held September 21, 2021 was a success thanks to all of the Buxton members who volunteered to register and stage plants, and coordinate and present our well attended demos.
While we did not hold a judged show, we had quite a few interesting begonia specimens to look at, and we awarded three entries First, Second and Third People's Choice Ribbons.
Photos of all of the entries on our 2021 Begonia Exhibition and Plant Sale are available here.
Below is a slideshow of various aspects of our Begonia Exhibition and Plant Sale.
Stuart Hammer.
Photo courtesy of Christopher, Hays, Wojcik & Mavricos, LLP
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Stuart in his greenhouse sharing plants and information.
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Stuart Hammer
I am sorry to have to tell you that Stuart passed away this morning [September 13, 2021] after a courageous struggle with cancer. Stuart was always an enthusiastic supporter of Buxton and ABS. He was very generous with plants and with his time and was an eager participant in Buxton activities. Our December party was always held at his home where he always encouraged attendees to help themselves to cuttings of pretty much anything in his greenhouse. He also assisted ABS with legal matters and with their investments. Stuart will be greatly missed.
There will be a service for him this Friday. We will commemorate both Wanda Macnair and Stuart at our show this Saturday.
Mike Mack
President, Buxton Begonia Branch of ABS
Memorial Service for Stuart Hammer
A Memorial Service was held, and the family welcomes donations to Rachel’s Table (http://www.rachelstable.org/) as an expression of sympathy instead of flowers.
Stuart Hammer's Obituary can be accessed by clicking here.
I am sorry to have to tell you that Stuart passed away this morning [September 13, 2021] after a courageous struggle with cancer. Stuart was always an enthusiastic supporter of Buxton and ABS. He was very generous with plants and with his time and was an eager participant in Buxton activities. Our December party was always held at his home where he always encouraged attendees to help themselves to cuttings of pretty much anything in his greenhouse. He also assisted ABS with legal matters and with their investments. Stuart will be greatly missed.
There will be a service for him this Friday. We will commemorate both Wanda Macnair and Stuart at our show this Saturday.
Mike Mack
President, Buxton Begonia Branch of ABS
Memorial Service for Stuart Hammer
A Memorial Service was held, and the family welcomes donations to Rachel’s Table (http://www.rachelstable.org/) as an expression of sympathy instead of flowers.
Stuart Hammer's Obituary can be accessed by clicking here.
Wanda Mcnair
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of one of our greatest Begonia grower members, and mentor to us all, Wanda Mcnair. She passed away on August 19, 2021, and was 90 years old. She touched all of us in so many ways, encouraging all of us to grow wonderful plants and to get involved, while performing in the various roles she played for our local and national societies, as well as the Gesneriad societies.
From our President, Mike Mack:
"I am very sorry to report to you that our much beloved member, Wanda Macnair, has passed away. [Her obituary is attached.] Wanda and Dick, received the Charles Jaros Award honoring their lifetime achievement in support of begonias and ABS. Wanda was also honored in having a begonia named after her. She was boundless in her enthusiasm for begonias and in her support for those newly interested in begonias, myself included. She and Dick, who remains active as our Treasurer, were always involved and dedicated members of ABS and of Buxton. She will be sorely missed. The executive committee is working on an appropriate way to recognize her incredible contributions. " Mike Mack
Our condolences to her husband, Richard Mcnair, their son, Douglas, and the entire Mcnair family, friends and acquaintances. Wanda, you will be missed greatly. RIP.
Please check out the link to the Lasting Memories website created by her son, where you can read about her incredibly full life as well as share your condolences, photos, and stories of Wanda:
Lasting Memories - Wanda Mcnair
We now have a Memorial Page for Wanda on this website, and you are welcome to read some of the comments our members have been sharing. Please feel free to submit your comments to us by sending them to us and giving us permission to post them.
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of one of our greatest Begonia grower members, and mentor to us all, Wanda Mcnair. She passed away on August 19, 2021, and was 90 years old. She touched all of us in so many ways, encouraging all of us to grow wonderful plants and to get involved, while performing in the various roles she played for our local and national societies, as well as the Gesneriad societies.
From our President, Mike Mack:
"I am very sorry to report to you that our much beloved member, Wanda Macnair, has passed away. [Her obituary is attached.] Wanda and Dick, received the Charles Jaros Award honoring their lifetime achievement in support of begonias and ABS. Wanda was also honored in having a begonia named after her. She was boundless in her enthusiasm for begonias and in her support for those newly interested in begonias, myself included. She and Dick, who remains active as our Treasurer, were always involved and dedicated members of ABS and of Buxton. She will be sorely missed. The executive committee is working on an appropriate way to recognize her incredible contributions. " Mike Mack
Our condolences to her husband, Richard Mcnair, their son, Douglas, and the entire Mcnair family, friends and acquaintances. Wanda, you will be missed greatly. RIP.
Please check out the link to the Lasting Memories website created by her son, where you can read about her incredibly full life as well as share your condolences, photos, and stories of Wanda:
Lasting Memories - Wanda Mcnair
We now have a Memorial Page for Wanda on this website, and you are welcome to read some of the comments our members have been sharing. Please feel free to submit your comments to us by sending them to us and giving us permission to post them.
Of Interest:
Our September 2021 meeting was "Begonia Hacks and Learning Experiences in the last 18 months". We will held a Plant-A-Palooza where members will take turns coming up to tables to purchase plants from our brimming plant tables at this meeting! One hack presented at the meeting is how to extend the height of the plastic salad bowls many of us use to grow begonias requiring enclosed terrariums. You can read a step by step for building a height extension for the large bowls by clicking here.
Our September 2021 meeting was "Begonia Hacks and Learning Experiences in the last 18 months". We will held a Plant-A-Palooza where members will take turns coming up to tables to purchase plants from our brimming plant tables at this meeting! One hack presented at the meeting is how to extend the height of the plastic salad bowls many of us use to grow begonias requiring enclosed terrariums. You can read a step by step for building a height extension for the large bowls by clicking here.
From our February 2021 Zoom Meeting, Mike Mack shared his effective and much safer methods of dealing with begonia plant pests- Mealybugs. A description of his method is available here.
At our November 2019 meeting, Mike Mack made a terrific presentation on how he built an Indoor Greenhouse in his basement for his various begonia plants. It is complete with humidity, air circulation, and light controls, and was built on a reasonable budget. The presentation made at the Buxton Meeting is available here.
At our November 2019 meeting, Mike Mack made a terrific presentation on how he built an Indoor Greenhouse in his basement for his various begonia plants. It is complete with humidity, air circulation, and light controls, and was built on a reasonable budget. The presentation made at the Buxton Meeting is available here.
Our past President, Betsy Szymczak, has written a brief report for the three Flower Shows she participated in (Feb. - March 2019). The report includes the Connecticut, the Philadelphia, and the Boston Flower Shows, with photos.
Our Large Bay Window Exhibit at the 2019 Boston Flower Show won a Blue Ribbon!!
December's Holiday Potluck Luncheon held in conjunction with the New England Gesneriad Society was great fun, and we thank Stuart for hosting this at his home, and allowing us to wander thru his warm and inviting greenhouse on a cold rainy December day. For some pictures from this event Click Here.
Plant of the Month
At our monthly meetings, one of our begonia expert growers brings in one plant, and describes its background or history as well as their specific experiences growing it. Click here for past plants. |
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