Begonia foliosa var. miniata

Begonias like the world of high fashion can boggle your mind when it comes to the myriad expressions of color, form, and pattern. Yet at the end of the day you can still feel reasonably safe in the knowledge that a dress is a dress and a Begonia is a Begonia, confident in your ability to recognize them as such. Then comes a paradigm-shifting renegade that rewires your brain and flips up with down, Lady Gaga strutting in the meat dress, Bjork encircled by a swan, or a Begonia that looks like an Elatostemma crossed with a Fuchsia. Love em or hate em they are sure to strike up a conversation. This arching red-stemmed Begonia with its small leaves and pendulous flowers is one of the most talked about and coveted plants in our warm greenhouse, and the shock that accompanies the revelation of its taxonomic nature always satisfies. Won't tolerate frost but makes a great conservatory or houseplant and does well in mobile containers too.