The true test of a good variety is how long it stays in cultivation. Begonia Helen Lewis has passed that test. It was hybridized before 1947 and is still a popular rex cultivar. It has medium sized, oval leaves, purple-black in the center with a wide band of silver then a purple-black band on the leaf margin. Between these contrasting bands of color is a little flush of pink. This rex classic is fairly easy to grow.

(Lewis Begonia Gardens, CA, before 1947)

Family: Begoniaceae

Care of Begonia ‘Helen Lewis’:

• Bright, indirect light
• 50 to 95 degrees
• 10 to 12 in. tall
• water when top inch or two of soil is dry

Family: Begoniaceae

This plant is shipped in a 3 – 4 inch pot.