Plants with pink and green leaves complement and contrast each other, creating a subtle effect on your landscape. Their eye-catching foliage attracts attention, and most of them are pretty easy to grow.
This is why our gardening experts came up with this list of 13 colorful plants to grow in your garden.
A List of Pink and Green-Leaved Plants You Might Want To Grow
1. Pink Princess Philodendron
The pink princess plant is on the top list of many indoor and outdoor plant lovers, prized for its big heart-shaped green leaves with the bubblegum pink variegation.
– Characteristics
Unlike the variegated pattern of the pink Congo, this variety has subtle variegation because it occurs naturally. This plant grows white and green flowers in spring and summer, but most people grow it for its extraordinary foliage.
– Planting
It’s a tropical plant that thrives in warmer climates, so most people grow it as an indoor plant with other colorful varieties like the arrowhead plant or Syngonium podophyllum.
– Light Requirements
Providing several hours of indirect sunlight enhances the variegation. You can also buy a grow light for this species.
– Growth Conditions
The Philodendron erubescens is a bit expensive because of its fantastic foliage, but it’s pretty straightforward to take care of. It thrives in well-draining soil that should be allowed to dry out to protect this plant from root rot.
2. Caladium
This is a showy indoor plant that can bring a pop of color to shady spots in your garden.
Most gardeners plant caladium masses to enjoy their varying colors.
– Features
The plant has large arrow-shaped green leaves, and they can be veined, spotted, striped, or mottled in shades of pink, red, and cream. From a distance, this plant can be mistaken for flowers, although the foliage is its most significant feature.
– Flowering Season
This plant blooms at different times of the year, growing pink, green, white, and red blooms. Yet, most gardeners prefer to cut off the spathes as soon as they appear to keep the plant’s energy for the showy foliage.
– Growing Season and Light Requirements
These tubers will continue to grow throughout the year, going through a fall or winter period of rest. Plants with narrower leaves can withstand more light, but they thrive in partial shade.
– Soil and Toxicity
They prefer to grow in organically-rich soil and should be kept away from pets and humans because they’re toxic.
3. Polka Dot Plant
This plant’s pink leaves feature deep green variegation, but some varieties can also have cream, white, purple, or red leaves.
– Climate
Also known as the flamingo plant, measles plant, or freckle face, this plant is native to tropical regions and needs regular watering to stay in perfect shape. In colder climates, these plants are treated as annuals and replaced in the spring by new ones.
– Flowering
In summer, the Hypoestes phyllostachya grows white and lilac flowers, but it’s best to snip them off. That’s because, if they’re allowed to mature, the plant could die after completing its life cycle and spreading its seeds.
– Growth Requirements
Providing this plant with too much or too little light fades the leaves color. It thrives in well-draining soil and should be fertilized regularly in spring and summer.
– Planting Options
The pink polka dot plant has a moderate growth rate, so it’s a good choice for flower beds and containers. Yet, most gardeners choose to grow it as an indoor plant, where they can control its growing conditions.
4. Pink Nerve Plant
Also known as the mosaic plant, the Fittonia ‘Pink Star’ is characterized by its wavy leaves and broad pink lines.
– Characteristics
The Frankie, Red Star, and Fortissimo varieties feature green foliage with pink and sometimes red veins. Some types also have white or silver veins, making the plant’s foliage look like a piece of mosaic artwork. It reaches a height of 6 inches when grown as an indoor house plant, but it can also be trained to grow as a trailing ground cover.
– Growth Requirements
The Fittonia albivenis is native to tropical regions, so it thrives when it receives constant indirect sunlight. The soil should drain well but retain some moisture to support this plant’s growth. This plant can quickly collapse if the soil dries out.
– Humidity
The nerve plant has specific care requirements. It’s prone to leaf burn and requires very high humidity levels, so it can sometimes be grown in a terrarium. You should mist it regularly or keep the pot in a water-filled tray to keep this plant hydrated.
5. Rex Begonia
This variety is one of the most dramatic and eye-catching plants, thanks to its variegated pink and purple leaves.
– Characteristics
The plant leaves also show shades of red, green, and silver to add beauty wherever you grow this plant. Despite being a small plant, the leaves are pretty big, sometimes reaching the size of 6 inches. You should keep them in a safe spot because they’re toxic to pets and humans.
– Growing Season
Although the Begonia rex cultorum sometimes blooms, it’s mainly grown for its outstanding pink foliage. These plants can be planted outside after the last frost but can be planted as indoor plants at any time of the year.
– Care Requirements
When grown as indoor pink houseplants, it’s crucial to provide your rex begonias with a porous potting mix. Providing the plant with the ideal temperature and light can be a little challenging, so it might not work for a beginner gardener. You should keep it in indirect sunlight and rotate it.
– Watering and Pairing
Regular watering and feeding are essential to keep this plant healthy. It appreciates the extra humidity, but too much moisture can make the leaves prone to powdery mildew. Grow it with other colorful plants like angel wings, Codiaeum variegatum and Euphorbia pulcherrima.
6. Ti Plant
The good luck plant, or Cordyline fruticosa, is a tropical evergreen plant with big palm-like leaves.
– Planting
Most people grow the red, pink, purple, and green variegated varieties as specimen plants in their gardens. But this will only work in hotter climates. So in most cases, people grow them indoors.
– Characteristics
The ti plants have flexible sword-like leaves that can be 2.5 feet long and 6 inches wide in some varieties. This plant grows to its maximum height of ten feet when grown outside and is toxic to humans and animals.
– Growth Requirements
This plant thrives in well-draining, organically-rich, slightly acidic soil but can survive in any good-quality potting mix. It needs to receive enough sunlight to achieve the best foliage color, but too much light can burn the leaves tips. It should be watered regularly and more sparingly in fall and winter.
– Flowering
It rarely blooms indoors, but when grown outdoors, this plant grows drooping fragrant flowers that come in shades of white, yellow, pink, or lavender. The flowers fade, and red, green, or yellow berries form, adding beauty to your fall garden.
7. Chinese Evergreen
Aglaonema features several variegated varieties, but the ‘Pink Dalmatian’ variety is known for its blotchy green leaves with bright pink spots, while the ‘Pink Splash’ has more pink variegation.
If you’re looking for all-pink leaves, you can go for the ‘Super Pink’ cultivar.
– Characteristics
It’s an evergreen perennial that is mainly grown as a compact indoor plant. It will only survive in your garden if you live in a hot climate, so growing it inside usually works. In spring and summer, this plant grows white flowers, and it’s toxic to pets and humans.
– Light Requirements
Since there are several white, silver, yellow, or pink varieties, you should provide this plant with more light the lighter the variegated pattern is. However, deep green varieties can grow in the shade with no issues.
– Soil and Watering
The plant isn’t picky about soil conditions and thrives in a slightly acidic, well-draining potting mix with regular moisture. You can decrease watering in winter but never let the soil dry out.
8. Calico Kitten
The calico kitten is a succulent shrub native to South Africa, and it’s part of the same plant family as the popular sugaralmond plant or moonstone (Pachyphytum oviferum).
– Characteristics
The pink hues on the leaves make it an excellent ground cover for any landscape design. From a distance, the small foliage can be mistaken for flowers, although this plant grows white blooms in spring. It rarely flowers when it’s grown indoors.
– Growth Requirements
Crassula pellucida succulent thrives in well-draining soil and requires more watering than other succulents. Receiving some filtered light will enhance the foliage’s color, but it survives in partial shade.
– Issues
This plant is sensitive to overwatering and can easily suffer from root rot. It spreads fast in your garden, as any cutting can grow to be a new plant. Despite being an easy-to-grow plant, it’s prone to mealy bugs and fungal infestations.
9. Earth Star
Red and pink are popular varieties of the Cryptanthus bromeliads.
The plant can be about 6 inches tall and 12 inches wide, depending on how many plants are growing in a pot.
– Planting Options
This plant is a good choice for a container garden, but it’s usually grown as an attractive indoor plant, thanks to its colorful foliage. It has a slow-growth rate, so you won’t have to repot it often. Due to their humidity requirements, it’s best to grow them inside the house to create the perfect environment that supports their growth.
– Growth Requirements
Providing this plant with filtered light works best because too much color can fade the leaves, while too little will cause a loss of color. In their native habitat, these plants have an extensive root system, so they need to grow in well-draining soil that should be watered regularly.
– Cultivars
There are more than 1200 cultivars of Cryptanthus bromeliads, ranging in color from green to bright pink. The leaves can be banded, spotted, mottled, or any other colorful pattern. Each variety has some specific requirements, but they all share their love for humid conditions and extra fertilization.
10. Pink Jelly Bean
Sedum rubrotinctum ‘Aurora’ is a prized soft succulent that usually grows as a ground cover to brighten your landscape.
– Light
This succulent achieves its bright pink shade when grown in bright sunlight, but it can also feature cream hues, in addition to the original lime green foliage, when kept in the shade.
– Characteristics
This plant sometimes has bronze and red leaf combinations, making it a colorful addition to any indoor or outdoor space. It grows star-shaped yellow flowers in spring, but they’re usually insignificant.
– Care Requirements
This plant is a good choice for a beginner gardener because it tolerates various growing conditions, and following a basic care guide is enough. In colder climates, this plant will only survive as an indoor plant. It’s tolerant of full sun and drought but can’t tolerate frost.
– Pairing
You can grow it with another colorful succulent like the Echeveria ‘Perle von Nurnberg’ or arrowhead vine.
11. Pink Variegated Rubber Plant
This is a variegated variety of the Ficus elastica, characterized by its amazing thick broad leaves.
– Characteristics
This plant produces rubbery latex, just like other plants in its family, but it’s usually grown as a pink houseplant. This variegated variety is more sensitive to light and will only achieve its best color in bright indirect sunlight. It’s toxic to humans and pets.
– Growth Requirements
The soil should be well-draining, and you can add bark pieces and perlite to improve draining. This plant doesn’t need regular watering, but continuous fertilization is a must. In its natural habitat, this plant can spread to be 100 feet tall and wide, but keeping it in a container will make it manageable.
– Planting Options
This plant is native to tropical regions in Asia, so it will immediately change the look of your outdoor or indoor space. The ample emerald green foliage contrasts beautifully with the pink and cream variegation on the edges to add a pop of color wherever you grow this plant.
– Pairing
Inside the house, this plant will thrive all year round as long as you maintain its optimal growing conditions. You can grow it next to a dragon tree or dracaena marginata to create a tropical corner with your other indoor or outdoor plants.
12. Stromanthe Triostar
Stromanthe sanguinea belongs to the prayer plant family, and it folds its leaves at night.
It’s native to hot tropical regions and requires a lot of attention, so it won’t be an appropriate choice for a novice gardener.
– Features
It features large green leaves with prominent pink and cream variegation, and it’s usually confused with variegated calathea. This variegation can be lost if the plant is grown in the shade for too long.
– Growth Rate
This plant has a moderate growth rate, but it slows down when it’s root bound or doesn’t get enough light. Keeping this plant slightly moist is essential, and it should be regularly fertilized.
– Plant Care
The tristar plant thrives in warm and humid conditions, so keeping it inside the house will work best. It should get filtered light and be rotated to guarantee the even distribution of the leaves.
13. Pinstripe Plant
Painted calathea, or Calathea ornata, is one of the most popular variegated plants.
The plant has many varieties named after the pattern on the leaves.
– Planting
Also known as the zebra plant and peacock plant, this plant can grow to be around two feet tall. It’s native to tropical regions but can be grown all year round as an indoor plant if you’re a fan of its outstanding foliage.
– Flowers and Foliage
In spring and summer, it grows yellow, purple, and white flowers. This variety has deep green foliage with pink stripes, while other types, like the Makoyana, have green foliage with red stems and splashes of white, cream, and pink on the leaves.
– Special Care Requirements
Calathea plants can’t tolerate cold temperatures and aren’t suitable for less experienced gardeners. These plants are rather fussy regarding their growing conditions and need to be monitored regularly to stay healthy. They prefer filtered sunlight, loamy organic-rich soil, and regular watering. When their needs are met, these plants grow pretty fast.
Conclusion
Plants with pink and green foliage can brighten up any indoor or outdoor space thanks to their bright colors.
- In general, variegated pink plants, like nerve plants, are more sensitive to direct light.
- Most variegated green and pink species, like the good luck plant and Philodendron, are best grown as indoor plants because they’re native to tropical regions.
- Some succulents, like the calico kitten, achieve pink variegation when kept in full sun.
- Pink variegated plants like Aglaonema achieve their best color when exposed to more filtered light.
So, with all these colorful varieties, which one would you grow next?
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