Could This Be the Beginning of a More Deer-Resistant Begonia? Meet Wookie.

The most talked-about begonia introduction from Benary this year isn’t a bigger flower or a brighter color — it’s hair.

Meet Begonia Wookie, one of the most unique begonias we’ve seen in years.

At first glance you’ll notice the flowers. But look a little closer and you’ll see what inspired the name: the leaves and stems are covered in soft, fuzzy hairs, giving the entire plant a completely different texture than any traditional begonia.

Beyond the looks, Wookie was bred as a vigorous, heat-loving, semi-trailing begonia that flowers continuously from spring until frost — well suited to hanging baskets, mixed containers, and landscapes.

The first question I asked when I saw Wookie was the one every Indiana gardener would ask: will deer leave this one alone?

The honest answer is: maybe — but nobody knows yet.

Many deer-resistant plants share one thing in common: texture. Plants with fuzzy, coarse, or rough foliage are often less appealing to deer than soft, tender growth. Lamb’s Ear, many salvias, Russian sage, and several herbs are the classic examples — the hairs make the foliage less pleasant to browse, and in some plants they’re paired with aromatic oils or other natural defenses.

Wookie’s fuzzy foliage immediately raises the same possibility. But at this point there isn’t enough field data to call it deer resistant, and I won’t claim otherwise. It’s an exciting possibility that gardeners will get to test over the next few seasons as more of these plants make their way into landscapes.

Even if deer never become part of the story, Wookie already has plenty going for it.

Benary bred it for gardeners who want a begonia that performs through the toughest part of summer: vigorous branching, a premium basket habit, continuous flowering, and excellent heat performance — all wrapped in a texture unlike anything else on the market right now.

Gardeners keep looking for plants that offer something genuinely different, and texture is becoming just as important as flower color. Wookie delivers both.

When we walked up to Benary’s display, this was one of those plants that made everyone stop for a closer look. The flowers are beautiful, but it was the fuzzy foliage that kept people talking.

I don’t know yet whether it will prove more deer resistant than other begonias. But it’s exactly the kind of introduction that makes breeding so exciting — sometimes the biggest innovations aren’t about bigger flowers. They’re about seeing a familiar plant in an entirely new way.

Reference: Benary breeder documentation · Schlegel Greenhouse trial notes