Pothos varieties are known to be the best houseplants for a novice gardener. However, these plants can also grow as perennial evergreen vines in warmer climates, so they will quickly transform the look of your landscape.
Our gardening experts will tell you about 13 gorgeous plants that belong to the Epipremnum genus.
A List of Pothos Varieties That Will Beautify Your Home and Garden
1. Dragon Tail
Dragon tail plant, Tonga vine, or devil’s ivy is a tropical flowering plant from the pothos family. The Epipremnum pinnatum is one of the most popular types and has a climbing habit. It can grow outdoors or as a houseplant in the right conditions.
Although this plant is native to different regions in Asia and South America, it’s actually rare to find as a nursery plant.
– Features
You can train this plant to grow as a vine with the support of a wall or a trellis, and it can also be grown in a hanging basket. The leaves are elongated, with a dark green topside and a light green underside. It rarely flowers except in its natural habitat, and the flowers aren’t that showy.
– Toxicity
The Epipremnum pinnatum plant is toxic to pets, so you should think carefully before you grow it. Keep it out of the reach of animals to prevent any incidents.
– Growth Conditions
It grows in well-draining nutrient-rich soil that should be kept moist. In addition, it should receive indirect sunlight, as too much shade can cause the variegated marks to fade.
2. Golden Pothos
Epipremnum aureum is an easy-to-grow houseplant and is rarely grown as an outdoor plant. However, it’s one of the fastest-to-grow pothos varieties.
– Features
Beautiful light green waxy leaves characterize this popular houseplant. The heart-shaped leaves of the golden pothos will cascade beautifully when it’s grown in a hanging basket.
– Hardiness Zone
This plant can only survive in USDA zone 12, so it’s best grown inside because too much light will scorch the leaves.
Also, like other pothos, the golden pothos plant is toxic to pets.
– Growth Conditions
The Epipremnum aureum plant will grow waxy green leaves with yellow variegation in optimal conditions. The leaf tips will turn yellow or brown when the sun is too strong. It’s best to grow the Epipremnum aureum in indirect sunlight, and it’s more tolerant of the shade than other pothos. It should be watered in moderation and more often when the sunlight is too strong.
3. Glacier Pothos
The leaves of Epipremnum aureum ‘glacier’ look amazing with their green and white variegation that look like those of satin pothos, snow queen pothos, and silver pothos.
– Features
The leaves of this variegated pothos are rather oval, and from a distance, they look almost silver-green like the trebi pothos, but they’re toxic to different animals. Compared to other pothos plants, this one is a pretty slow grower.
Yet, in the right conditions, the plant will be a great addition to your home or outdoor garden.
– Growth Conditions
When grown inside the house, adding perlite to the potting mix will help your pothos grow healthily. The soil should dry out a little between watering sessions, and the plant should be allowed to get plenty of direct sunlight.
– Benefits
Compared to other pothos, this plant can withstand more neglect and mistakes, so it will be a good choice for a novice gardener. It’s pretty hardy and tolerant of different growing conditions and can be trained to grow as a tabletop, hanging, or trailing plant. However, this plant is pretty rare to find.
4. N’Joy Pothos
This pothos has thin, delicate, and variegated leaves, like the shangri la pothos. It’s a relatively new species that botanists discovered in the early 2000s.
– Light Requirements
This plant is native to Asia but thrives in USDA zones 10 and 11. The variegated pattern of the leaves is more prominent than other pothos, which requires more light than other types.
In very low light conditions, njoy pothos can lose its variegated pattern, but the tips of the leaves can get scorched when exposed to too much sunlight.
– Maintenance
It’s considered a low-maintenance pothos that you can grow as a trailing plant or in a hanging basket. (Add more maintenance details here)
– Toxicity
You need to make sure that your fur babies have no access to the plant because all the parts can kill them. The toxicity is due to calcium oxalate crystals that all plant parts contain. Njoy pothos is toxic to humans as well, although a person would have to ingest a large quantity of plant material to have serious problems.
– Growth Conditions
When mature, n-joy pothos will reach a maximum height of 10 feet, and it grows green and white flowers in spring and summer. It thrives in warm and humid conditions, and the soil should be well-draining. Adding perlite and orchid bark to the soil or potting mix will make this plant thrive.
5. Pearls and Jade Pothos
If you’re looking for an easy-to-grow pothos that works for beginner gardeners, the pearls and jade pothos will be the right choice for you.
– Toxicity
Just like other plants from this family, the pearls and jade variety is toxic to your babies. However, it’s a remarkable addition to your indoor and outdoor garden if you can keep it away from pets.
– Soil Conditions
This pothos is more tolerant of colder climates when grown outside. This plant thrives in airy, well-draining, nutrient-rich soil that allows the roots to grow.
It requires regular watering, and more water is needed in the summer.
– Light Conditions
Avoid placing this plant in direct sunlight, which can scorch the leaves. This is why this plant will be a good choice for you if you have a low-light spot in your garden where other plants will struggle to survive.
– Features
The pearls and jade pothos has delicate and thin leaves that show a variegated pattern like satin pothos. The plant grows non-showy green and white flowers in the spring and summer. However, flowering is extremely uncommon if it’s grown indoors. Compared to other pothos plants, this variety is less tolerant of shady conditions.
6. Jade Pothos
The Epipremnum aureum Jade is a popular vining plant that can also be grown as a houseplant. It has air-purifying properties and is considered one of the most popular nursery plants.
– Hardiness Zone
This plant has dark and thick leaves with fleshy stems, which make it more drought-resistant than other pothos. In USDA zones 10 to 12, it can be grown as an outdoor plant and thrives in normal household conditions.
It survives in most soil types as long as it’s well-draining. It doesn’t require much watering and can be more forgiving of novice gardeners’ mistakes.
– Characteristics
This is one of the most adaptive plants, which can be grown as a trailing or vining plant supported by a wall, fence, or trellis. Inside the house, it can be grown in a hanging basket or as a tabletop plant.
– Toxicity
You should make sure that your pets have no access to this plant because of the presence of calcium oxalates which can lead to irritation, vomiting and swallowing difficulties.
7. Marble Queen Pothos
The Epipremnum aureum ‘marble queen’ is a versatile variety of pothos that you can grow inside and outside the house. Just like other variegated pothos types, this plant is tolerant of various outdoor and indoor growing conditions.
– Toxicity
However, despite its gorgeous look, the marble queen pothos is slightly toxic to pets and humans if ingested and must be kept away from them because it can lead to mouth irritation.
– Growth Conditions
This plant thrives in loamy, well-draining soil and should be watered regularly. However, once established, this plant will become drought-resistant.
The marble queen pothos loves bright indirect sunlight, but some morning sun will help maintain its outstanding variegated pattern, just like other variegated types, including Hawaiian pothos.
– Propagation and Fertilizers
This pothos plant is one of the most common ones, and it can grow from stem cuttings, which also help keep the plant healthy. It grows some insignificant white and green flowers and doesn’t require much fertilizing unless the soil is inferior.
In this case, some liquid fertilizer during the growing period will keep it healthy. When grown in a pot, this plant enjoys being rootbound and should be repotted once every few years.
8. Neon Pothos
This variegated neon pothos is native to Solomon Islands, and it’s an easy-to-care-for indoor and outdoor plant that can be an excellent addition to your garden. It’s a good choice for a beginner gardener because it’s more forgiving of mistakes than other plants.
– Growth Conditions
This plant has stunning neon green heart-shaped leaves that add beauty to any indoor or outdoor space. In their natural habitat, plants grow as understory plants, so you can grow them in a shady spot in your garden.
The soil needs to be airy and well-draining because this variety is subject to root rot.
– Planting and Care
Neon pothos is less picky than other pothos, so it will work for you if other plants struggle to survive in your garden. You can grow it as a patio or deck plant, where it can be grown in a basket. In addition, it’s pretty hard to kill, so it will work for you if you tend to forget to water your plants regularly.
9. Jessenia Pothos
This attractive pothos is characterized by its waxy green heart-shaped leaves and its noticeable chartreuse and light green variegation. The Jessenia pothos is toxic to animals but can grow in your indoor and outdoor garden.
– Light and Flowering
Compared to other varieties like the golden pothos or emerald pothos, this plant needs more light to support the variegated pattern.
It hardly flowers when grown indoors, but in gardens where it attaches itself to a trellis or fence, it might.
– Pruning and Propagation
Pruning is needed to help control the growth of this plant. This will also help you propagate this plant as it grows from cuttings.
– Growing Conditions
The soil should be well-draining to keep this plant healthy. If you’re growing pothos in a pot, you can add some perlite to improve draining and protect your Jessenia pothos from root rot. It thrives in warm and humid conditions and can be drought-resistant once established.
10. Cebu Blue Pothos
The Epipremnum pinnatum ‘Cebu blue’ pothos can grow in your garden, but it thrives as an indoor or patio plant. It’s easy to take care of and grows in a vining or cascading habit, reaching a length of 40 feet when grown outdoors.
– Characteristics
This plant is named after the Cebu islands, where it originally comes from. The plant goes through two different phases. During the juvenile phase, the plant grows thin silvery green-blue leaves.
When the Cebu blue pothos becomes mature, the leaves become bigger and show the fenestrations pattern.
– Plant Care Guide
This pothos won’t grow properly without proper support, and it thrives in moist, well-draining soil. The plant doesn’t tolerate low light conditions, and the leaves might have brown tips when exposed to too much sunlight. It grows best with regular watering but can withstand some periods of drought once established.
– Toxicity
You should keep it away from pets because it can cause mouth irritation and vomiting due to the calcium oxalate compound contained in all the plant parts.
11. Baltic Blue Pothos
This is one of the rarest pothos, but with some research, you can find some nursery plants that you can grow in your indoor or outdoor garden.
– Characteristics
The plant has large dark green leaves with a bluish hue that gets more prominent as the plant gets older, especially in fall and winter.
The Epipremnum Baltic blue is a recent cultivar that grows large leaves with prominent fenestrations.
– Light and Fertilization Requirements
It can be a great plant to grow on a covered porch because it doesn’t tolerate strong sunlight. Fertilizing this plant two times a year will help keep it in excellent shape.
– Issues
Although most pothos forgive rookie mistakes, this one needs more care. It’s toxic to kids and pets and should be kept away from their reach. This plant needs the support of a trellis, or it will cascade, so you need to train it according to your space. Although this variety grows slowly, it doesn’t tolerate being root bound, so you’ll have to repot your plant every one or two years.
12. Manjula Pothos
The Manjula pothos is a beautiful plant that attracts the attention of pets and kids, so you should keep it away from their reach because it contains toxic compounds that lead to mouth irritation.
– Characteristics
It’s very close to the n’joy and pearls and jade pothos varieties, although it’s considered a distinctive cultivar.
This plant can thrive as an outdoor plant in USDA zones 11 and 12, reaching a height or length of 6 feet, depending on how you train it.
– Light and Soil Requirements
Because it’s a heavily variegated variety, this plant requires more light than other types of pothos. However, it thrives in loamy, well-draining soil and can withstand a little neglect.
– Benefits
This rare plant can be a great addition to your garden if you want to grow an eye-catching specimen plant. It features heart-shaped green leaves with some cream and white variegation like Scindapsus pictus or silver satin pothos. It can grow in normal household conditions despite not being easy to find.
13. Global Green Pothos
This is a new pothos variety that you can grow in your indoor or outdoor garden. It’s not a fussy plant and can grow in several soil and light conditions.
– Uses
When the plant matures, it can grow in your garden as a climbing or trailing plant, but you can also keep it inside the house, where it’s typically grown in low-light rooms.
But be careful because it’s toxic to pets.
– Care Requirements
Just like Scindapsus pictus, snow queen pothos, and other variegated varieties, this plant will look its best in bright sunlight, although too much light can scorch the leaves. The soil must be left to dry out between watering to keep the plant healthy. The plant will be healthier when you increase the humidity levels inside the house.
– Characteristics
The leaves of the global green pothos are light green with dark green edges. They usually have a variegated white or cream pattern, and some leaves have silver patches like harlequin pothos. This plant can be grown to cascade as a hanging plant or as a tabletop plant and can also be supported by a trellis to grow in an upward pattern.
Conclusion
Pothos is among the best plants for novice gardeners. Luckily, there are several varieties to grow in your garden.
- Most pothos cultivars like golden and pearls and jade are easy to take care of and are more forgiving of beginner gardeners’ mistakes.
- These plants thrive in warmer climates as outdoor plants and make excellent indoor plants.
- Variegated varieties like Manjula and dragon tail need more sunlight because too much shade can fade the variegation marks.
- Pothos is toxic to pets and humans if ingested.
As final thoughts, this plant is a great addition to novice gardeners, as it’s easy to grow. With options such as easy-to-find varieties and rare pothos, which one are you planning to grow next?
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