Houseplants with Pink Foliage
You may not think of plants as having fashions and trends as much as other things, but they do. Pink is showing up in a lot of home decor such as sofas, chairs or wall hangings. Plants with pink foliage actually reinforces this soft beautiful color in a great way that’s really fashionable. Learn about houseplants with pink foliage in this video by Better Homes and Gardens:
Pink shows up in many different types of plants. Here are some familiar houseplants that have a pink tone:
- Dieffenbachia or dumb cane is very popular and very easy to grow. Both the leaves and the plant itself can get very large. Typically white and green, there are variegated varieties with streaks of pink.
- Rubber trees are classic indoor plants that can grow very tall. The amount of white and pink in the leaf varies among the individual leaves of the tree.
- Stromanthe is a tropical plant with bold variegated foliage. Tt has a beautiful red or pinkish tone on the underside of the leaf as well as pinks that show on the top.
- Arrowhead plants have more subtle shades of pink, with some leaves having more of a pink tone than others.
- Dracaena or dragon trees have strap-like foliage and can grow quite tall. Some types are variegated with beautiful pink stripes.
- Euphorbia or African milk tree is a succulent that can grow quite tall and comes in pink or burgundy colors.
- Echeveria succulents come in different type of hybrids and feature beautiful rose-shaped leaves in a variety of colors, including pink.
- Fittonia or nerve plants have delicate pink veins on the leaves and are good terrarium plants as they stay small in size.
- Rex or angel wing begonias come in beautiful colors like pink and burgundy.
When it comes to choosing a plant with pink foliage, think about how you want to grow it. If you want a good terrarium plant, choose a plant that likes wet conditions. If you want an open dish garden with succulents, choose a succulent. Keep in mind that putting plants in the sun will bring out more of the pink tones.
Like any other houseplant, you need to rotate them and make sure they’re getting light on each side; otherwise, they’ll grow in one direction, and one side will be a little bare. If the leaves are yellowing or browning, make sure you’re not over-watering. Use the knuckle rule (put your finger in the pot up to the second knuckle; water if dry or wait a bit if wet). Most houseplants do fine with weekly watering, but if you’re going to be out of town longer than a week, have a friend or neighbor look after your plants.
In terms of pests, look out for things like sticky leaves or weird little red spider mites on the undersides or any sort of scale on the stem that’s putting out a sticky secretion. Use neem oil or another insecticide to treat the problem.
