The Christmas Begonia

Red and green leaves, sprinkled with snow, encased in ruffled edges of deep mahogany like the bark on the Yule log…it’s ‘Christmas Beauty’, the Christmas begonia.

Yes, it does exist.

We’ll be honest—we don’t normally think about begonias at Christmastime. Poinsettias have a lock on holiday décor; they’re striking, sentimental standards. But they were new once. Their Christmas popularity began to surge in the 1960s as they appeared on the Tonight Show and the Bob Hope Christmas Specials. Maybe ‘Christmas Beauty’ just needs a little hype.

You can see that this plant has the color scheme right. It has a bold leaf pattern that combines nicely with any shade of poinsettia. The psychedelic swirls are eye-catching while serving to draw separate elements of a design together—classic meets funky.

Low light is actually preferred, so ‘Christmas Beauty’ is a natural choice for displays where colored or twinkling lights are part of the picture. We find that during the holiday season it can be a challenge to balance mood lighting with living displays.

After the season is over, the Christmas begonia doubles as a mod houseplant—keep it in the shade and water when the soil feels dry to the touch. It thrives under humid conditions.

We grow ‘Christmas Beauty’ in the 6-inch pot.

Plants have a nice mounded, upright habit and work well with our other holiday selections in the 4-inch size.