If you are looking for a picture-perfect indoor plant to decorate your office desk or the corner of your living room, then consider Begonia rex. This plant offers colorful, textured foliage available in multiple shapes. As a short plant, it is easy to grow indoors and outdoors. Its variegated foliage provides a perfect contrast to other indoor plants.
The real challenge is choosing the right Begonia Rex variety because there are so many options. This blog covers the different varieties and offers a few tips for choosing the best one.
16 Popular Begonia Rex Varieties
Begonia Rex comes in several varieties, each with a distinct shape, color, growth pattern, and foliage. Here are the Begonia Rex types you can consider.
Escargot (Rex Begonia ‘Escargot)
This variety is an annual or perennial and is popular with many gardeners for its striking visual appeal. The dark green leaves are pointed, with a frosty silver swirl that closely resembles a snail shell. The reddish hue underneath the leaf looks beautiful. It can be grown in pots or planted along the pathways.
Light Requirement: Needs full or partial shade
Watering: It needs average watering.
Growth Pattern: Grows to 12 inches tall and wide
Red Kiss (Begonia Red Kiss)
As the name suggests, the stunning little leaf has a velvety black center and perimeter. The Red Kiss perennial has many small, rounded leaves with a smooth, shiny surface. When grown in a pot, it looks amazing. You can add a green dracaena to the container for contrasting height.
Light Requirement: Needs full or partial shade
Watering: It needs average watering.
Growth Pattern: Grows to 8 inches tall and wide
Fireworks (Begonia Fireworks)
It is an annual variety of begonia rex. As the name suggests, the plant features pointed leaves that resemble exploding fireworks with three distinct layers of color. A dark burgundy shade sits in the middle, making the frost-silver center pop, while a vibrant pink band followed by a thin, darker purple margin creates a striking effect.
Light Requirement: Needs full shade
Watering: It needs average to high watering.
Growth Pattern: Grows up to 18 inches tall and wide
Merry Christmas
This plant resembles holiday wrapping paper, with dark green leaves edged in bright red. It is sensitive to tap water because of fluoride.
Light Requirement: Needs bright, indirect light
Watering: Water when the top inch of soil is dry.
Growth Pattern: Grows up to 12 inches tall and 22 inches wide
Tornado Rex Begonia (Begonia rex Tornado)
An exotic variety of Begonia rex, with dark green leaves and a pop of silver, bronze, and deep purple.
Light Requirement: Needs bright indirect light
Watering: Water when the top inch of soil is dry. Keep the soil moist.
Growth Pattern: Grows to 12-18 inches tall
Silverado
This is a low-light-tolerant plant with white-silver leaves and pale green veining.
Light Requirement: Needs bright indirect light
Watering: Water when the top inch of soil is dry, as overwatering can cause crown rot
Growth Pattern: Grows to 12-18 inches tall and wide
Salsa (Rex Begonia Salsa)
It is an annual plant with small, pointed leaves. The leaves have a dark green border with a dark fuchsia center. The dark green veins running through the leaf tie everything together.
Light Requirement: Needs partial shade
Watering: It needs average watering
Growth Pattern: Grows to 8 inches tall and wide
Jurassic Watermelon (Jurassic Rex Begonia ‘Watermelon')
This plant radiates into bright pink, then bright green flecked with irregular white spots, and opens with a deep burgundy center, giving every leaf a watermelon-like color journey from core to edge. It has large pointed leaves.
Light Requirement: Full to partial shade
Watering: Requires average watering
Growth Pattern: Grows up to 18’’ in height and width
Paso Doble
Paso Doble is named after the famous Spanish dance and has the same spiral pattern as Escargot. The flower has a fiery burgundy center and outer border with pink and green swirls. Irregular polka dots cover the green swirls.
When planted with pink flowers, Paso Doble creates a beautiful landscape. For a more intricate look, consider planting it with a pink wax begonia.
Light Requirement: Full to partial shade
Watering: Needs average watering
Growth Pattern: Grows up to 12’’ in height and width
Red Tango
The Red Tango variety of Begonia Rex has a beautiful pink, white, and green color pattern. The flower has a dark center with an even green margin. The center of the flower is white (frosty) and gradually blends into pink all around it.
The transition is smooth, with no sharp lines between the white and pink. Additionally, the leaves are short and have pointed tips.
Light Requirement: Full to partial shade
Watering: Needs low to average watering
Growth Pattern: Grows up to 8’’ in height and 12’’ in width
Flamenco
Flamenco is grown as an annual or perennial and is named after the eccentric “Flamenco” dance. The flower is a small variety and has rounded, light green leaves with dark streaks through the veins that look like lightning. The undersides of the leaves and stems are red and have noticeable fuzzy hairs. If planted with red flowers, it can make the entire plant look beautiful.
Light Requirement: Full to partial shade
Watering: Needs low to average watering
Growth Pattern: Grows up to 8’’ in height and width
Chocolate Drop
Chocolate Drop features dark brown-black leaves with a hint of bronze shine. As rhizomes spread slowly, they are best for mixed containers or pots, as they won’t overwhelm other plants.
Light Requirement: Bright, filtered, or indirect sunlight
Watering: Needs water only when the topsoil dries up, as overwatering may cause rot
Growth Pattern: Grows up to 8-12’’ in height and 12-14’’ wide
River Nile
The leaves of the River Nile variety of Rex Begonia are lime green, with bright, dark green veins. The leaves grow in a slight spiral pattern and feature ruffled dark reddish-brown borders.
Light Requirement: Full to partial shade
Watering: Requires average watering
Growth Pattern: Grows up to 24’’ tall and wide
Regal Minuet
Regal Minuet is a miniature Rex Begonia, best for small spaces, terrariums, and well-lit gardens. The leaves have a dark rose color with silver banding and black border, and dark centers.
Light Requirement: Bright, indirect light
Watering: Water only when the topsoil is dry
Growth Pattern: Grows up to 12’’ tall and wide
Harmony’s Fire Woman
Harmony’s Fire Woman has pointed leaves with a dark, velvet-black center that looks like a spot or patch. The remaining leaf has a soft, silvery color with a frosted appearance. Around the black center, the silver color gradually changes to blush pink (like a hint of pink).
The borders of the leaves are berry purple with a very thin black margin at the outer edge of the leaf. Pair it with heuchera such as Dolce Wildberry to make the purple edges pop.
Light Requirement: Full to partial shade
Watering: Requires average watering
Growth Pattern: Grows up to 24’’ tall and 18’’ wide
Satin Jazz
Satin Jazz is a Rex Begonia variety with jagged or ruffled leaves. They are frosty silver with a soft pinkish-purplish tinge. The center is slightly darker, and the edges have a crisp, dark margin that adds beauty to the ruffled leaves. You can plant them alongside blue star fern, as the green color of the Satin Jazz will complement the ghostly look of the plant.
Light Requirement: Partial shade
Watering: Requires low to average watering
Growth Pattern: Grows up to 12’’ tall and 18’’ wide
How to Care for Rex Begonias?
Rex Begonias are herbaceous perennials that grow in zones 10-12, and they are treated as annuals or houseplant varieties. They produce beautiful blooms but are best known for their expansive, colorful leaves. To make sure the plant grows healthy and the leaves stay colorful throughout the growing season, follow these care tips -
Lighting
Lighting plays an important role in ensuring the leaves stay vibrant. In their native habitat, they grow under a tree canopy, so they cannot tolerate too much intense light. If you're growing them indoors, the best spot is an east-facing window. It provides gentle morning sunlight while giving the plant bright shade throughout the day. If you notice that the plants look dull, put them in the sun for a few minutes.
Water and Humidity
Do not overwater, as it can cause root rot and damage the plant. Make sure the topsoil is completely dry before watering. When watering, do not wet the leaves, as it makes the plant more prone to powdery mildew disease.
Rex Begonias thrive in areas with high humidity; hence, they can be kept in the bathroom or kitchen. If your home tends to get drier, you can use a humidifier to keep the humidity level matched to that of Rex Begonias. You can place the plant on a tray filled with water and pebbles; however, it is to be noted that the plant shouldn’t directly sit on the water.
Fertilization
They should be fertilized during their growing period. Use water-soluble, dilute, quarter-strength fertilizer every 2-3 weeks. Do not fertilize the plant from October until Spring, as they go dormant during that season.
Soil and Potting
Rex Begonia grows from rhizomes, which means they spread out across the surface. For this reason, it is best to opt for a shallow and wide pot, such as a bulb pan or azalea pot. Make sure they have a proper drainage hole to drain out excess water.
Fill the pot with light, well-draining potting mix or a blend of peat moss (or coco coir), perlite, and orchid bark. When you see the rhizomes have reached the edge of the pot or the roots are visible from the drainage hole, know that it’s time to repot.
Conclusion
Rex Begonias are beautiful and easy to fall in love with. Though you can pair them with other plants in a container or in the garden beds, it also looks good planted individually. As they are usually smaller in size, they can be planted indoors. The best part is that they are easy to care for. Just make sure to keep them away from bright, direct sunlight; instead, keep them in partial shade so that it receives ample sunlight, but not too much, which can burn their beautiful leaves.