MOMENTS IN POT CULTURE: THE BEGONIA

A firm favourite of Grace & Thorn, and basically everyone's Gran, and for good reason!

Begonias are one of the most varied genus' of plants out there. Flowers of basically every colour? Yep. Foliage in a multitude of wacky shapes, patterns and textures? They've got it. Yet, despite their many names and appearances, all of which are pretty damn gorgeous by the way, they live their lives pretty under the radar. Modest, but not completely unnoticed.

The name 'begonia' was given to honour a 17th Century French diplomat Michel Bégon, aka 'le Grand Bégon' (oi oi), who was also an avid horticulturist.

Whilst native to tropical and subtropical climates, they were soon picked up as an easy-going kinda plant during the 16th and 17th centuries and have been vastly popular in Europe ever since.

Unsurprisingly, with their huge range of beautiful flowers and foliage, they've also become a fixture for artists practicing their still life painting skills, like this below example by Matisse from 1938.

Humble and often-overlooked it might well be, but really that's just part of it's charm!