Article: The versatile begonia puts its best leaf forward; Grown for their colorful, shapely foliage, these houseplants are a dream to grow and share with friends.(FEATURES)(CURRENTS)

Byline: Cathy Wilkinson Barash Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor

DES MOINES, IOWA -- I hate to admit it, but I have a plant prejudice: I am a former begonia hater. Perhaps my original distaste for the plants came from the years I worked as the admissions gate attendant at Planting Fields Arboretum in Oyster Bay, N.Y.

Late each spring, the large beds in front and behind the booth were planted with impatiens and begonias - the most common annuals for semi-shade. They were typical bedding begonias, growing less than a foot tall, with green or bronze leaves and white or pink flowers. One day, after hearing me sound off, the curator of the ...

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