Variegated Leaves can be the most attractive feature of a garden or houseplant.
Colour schemes vary and there is likely to be a colour combination that pleases most gardeners.

Gardeners Tips for Growing Variegated Leaved Plants

• Consider the light when planting. Many colours can get ‘burned out’ by strong sunshine.
• If you are growing for leaf colour rather than flower you need good roots and then a nitrogen based fertilizer.
• I have a semi-shaded area just for variegated plants.
• Often the flowers suffer on these plants as they compete for attention and scarce resources. The bi-coloured phlox or Hydrangeas are an example.

Extraordinary Leaves from amazon.

White Veins

• The white vein is caused by the absence of chlorophyll-bearing cells.
• Most commonly the cells are incapable of receiving adequate carbon dioxide so are not equipped for photosynthesis.
• Leaves with white veins are not botanically classified as variegated, although they are sometimes also grown as horticultural oddities.

Variegated Houseplants

• Indoor plants are often grown for the beauty of the leaf form and colour.
• Begonia rex, Codiaeum and other tips
• Encourage new leaf production by pinching out flowers and growing tips.

See also

• Top Five Variegated Bamboo
• Variegated shrubs
• More photos of variegated leaves

Variegated Shrubs

This variegated hydrangea had white and pale pink flowers. It was on display from a garden centre and I didn’t buy one because they looked a bit over bred well over the top and the flowers were weak stemmed into the bargain.

For larger leaved Hydrangeas some shade is essential.

Variegated plants often like shade but without sun they can loose colouring so ‘you pays your money and you takes your chances.’.

However my neigbours variegated Holly (Ilex aquifolium) catches the late evening sun and the yellow is quite strong. The glossy leaves and the three foot of growth make this a grand evergreen to have in the garden. If you get green shoots on a variegated shrub cut it at the branch. Young Holly bushes do not have as many spikes to the leaves until they mature

I am also a fan of the Euonymus and the japonicus varieties. They have many colour schemes for their leaves and brighten a shady area at the back of my house. Silver Queen and Harlequin have white and green foliage. Emerald ‘n’ Gold speaks for itself when it comes to colour schemes.

Read more about strange and attractive shrubs