I love the color red. I wear red scarves. I have red glasses. And I spend my summers in a red house in the woods. So when I was first introduced to red aglaonema, I was smitten. Here was a houseplant that looked as beautiful as a bouquet of red flowers (yep, I also like red in the garden). But here was the best news: my red aglaonema won’t wilt or die like cut flowers. Because it’s an easy-to-grow houseplant that will look as rosy red as I like — day after day.

There are several varieties of red ag, but I first fell in love with a ‘Siam Aurora’ whose almond shape leaves are green, pink, and red. (The red aglaonema. at left, is in my upstairs bathroom.) The plant nearly glows. And because the bathroom doesn’t get much light (red ags grow in low, medium, or bright light), the red leaves seem to brighten the space. You can move the plant to a brighter spot to pump up the color, then move it back to the lower light space, if you like.

There are other aglaonemas with equally beautiful foliage. ‘Pink Dalmatian’ has pink spotted leaves and ‘Two Tone Moonstone’ has a painterly mix of pink, cream, and green. ‘Red Emerald’ has red veins. Each variety shows off red or pink highlights in a different way.

Another reason why I love this plant is that I got to see some of the varieties before the rest of the world did. That’s because Mike Rimland, Costa Farms’ Plant Hunter, toured us through his greenhouse of recent discoveries. I love getting a scoop on what plants will be in the garden centers soon. Mike travels the world in search of cool plants and he found swoon-worthy red aglaonemas in Southeast Asia.

Learn more about red aglaonema and how it’s a new twist on an old favorite.

Get care advice for growing this beauty.

Written by Karen Weir-Jimerson