Breynia disticha ‘Rosea-picta’Hawaiian snow bushSemi-dormant shrub,...

Breynia disticha ‘Rosea-picta’

Hawaiian snow bush

Semi-dormant shrub, multicolored leaves

Breynia disticha ‘Rosea-picta’ is rare in Southern California, found only in a few nurseries and not listed in the recently revised Sunset Western Garden Book. But because it’s a plant of a different color, Breynia disticha ‘Rosea-picta,’ introduced to this area about seven years ago, is sure to garner more notice in the years to come.

With branches of dark burgundy red, its striking 1-inch oval leaves are mottled with shades of green, pink and creamy white. It’s almost as if a watercolorist dappled each leaf with drops and blushes of color. It is bushy and upright, graceful and open, and it will grow here to about 4 feet in three to five years.

Breynia thrives in warm, humid areas. Native to the South Pacific, it is planted as a hedge around old homes on Maui. In Southern California, breynia is slower growing and can take a good chill but won’t survive long periods of freezing temperatures.

For that reason, it is planted in very protected spots or used as a patio container plant so that it can be moved around during the year to its best advantage. It might sound tender, but Evelyn Weidner, owner of Weidner’s Begonia Gardens, Southern California’s principal grower of Breynia disticha ‘Rosea-picta,’ says, “It’s tougher than we thought.”

Drooping Not Fatal

In the winter, when it is in a semi-dormant state, breynia droops and can lose half of its leaves. This scares new owners, who tend to want to over-water it or prune at that point. Wait until March, Weidner advises, and then prune by cutting off a third of each branch, fertilize with high-nitrogen fertilizer and give the plant bright--not full--sun; partial shade is best. These measures encourage new growth and more colorful leaves.

Once new growth appears, branches with leaves that are mostly green (rather than variegated) will pop up. Remove any branches of this type; branches with mostly green leaves, with the extra chlorophyll, will enlarge and grow faster than those on the rest of the plant (this goes for all variegated plants). In the summer, move the plant to partial shade.

Watch for scale and mealybugs.

To take a look at the plant, visit Sherman Library and Gardens in Corona del Mar. Breynia is planted there as a specimen shrub. One stands outside the garden shop, and two others grow in the central patio, set among begonias and azaleas in filtered light. (The gift shop usually sells 8-inch pots.)

Nurseries that carry Breynia disticha ‘Rosea-picta’ are: Hashimoto Nursery in West Los Angeles, Takata Nursery in Gardena and Rolling Green in Culver City. Weidner’s Begonia Gardens, 695 Normandy Road, Leucadia, (619) 436-2194, is open from April to September and sells breynia in 8-inch pots.