07/12/2026
Have you ever found yourself walking through your local nursery for the fifth time in a week and got distracted by the eye catching, one-of-a-kind plant in the bunch? It has all these different colors and patterns that just makes that plant special and unique. It’s a trait in plants called variegation!
Variegation is exhibited in tons of houseplant species everywhere. Each plant is incomparable in their own variegations. These variegations occur as a genetic mutation that impairs chlorophyll establishment in the plant itself. This results in plants producing leaves in multiple different colors, including white/cream, red, and pink!! 🌈
Unfortunately, there’s a downside: plants that are highly variegated lack chlorophyll (which is represented by the green present in the plant). This results in photosynthesis impairment and without photosynthesis, plant growth is further diminished. This doesn’t mean you can’t have a healthy, highly variegated plant, though! As long as you are offering your plant ample bright, indirect light, chlorophyll production will not be placed into overdrive and shock, and you will have a highly variegated, healthy, and happy plant! ☀️
Pay close attention as your plant grows. The production of addition variegated leaves means that your plant is receiving the care it needs and is thanking you by continuing to grow beautifully. Stunted growth + no variegation = unhappy.
Growth + no variegation = unhappy, and you’ll need to cut off this leaf immediately, as this will cause the plant to “revert,” or lose its variegation completely.
Some of my variegated babies with their names are in this post 🙂 happy growing!! 🌱
