Polka dot plant

Sun

Partial shade outdoors; bright, indirect light indoors. Gentle morning sun is suitable, but strong afternoon sun can scorch the leaves.

Water

Keep the root zone evenly moist but not waterlogged. Water when the surface begins to dry; reduce watering in winter without letting the root ball dry out completely.

Soil

Humus-rich, well-drained soil or a free-draining houseplant potting mix.

Height

1-3 ft (0.3-0.9 m)

Spread

1-2 ft (0.3-0.6 m)

Foliage

Soft, oval green leaves heavily spotted or splashed with pink, red or white; evergreen where kept warm.

Growth

Fast in warm conditions.

Care needed

Medium

• Heat tolerant
• Low allergen

Northern hemisphere months. In Australia, shift them by six.

Difficulty

Moderate

Toughness

Needs looking after

Pick your zone, country, light and whether you have pets.

1. Planting day

   1 ft (0.3 m)

2. After 1 year

   1.5 ft (0.45 m)

3. After 2 years

   2 ft (0.6 m)

   full size

About 2 years to full size.

From a typical nursery size, at an average rate for this kind of plant. A rule of thumb, not a forecast.

Cats and dogs

Safe

Invasive in

Australia

In the garden

Spreads vigorously: plan to contain it.

Growth rate

Fast

• Plant outdoors only after frost risk has passed and nights are consistently warm.
• Check containers frequently in warm weather and water before the leaves wilt.
• Feed container plants monthly in spring and summer with a balanced liquid fertilizer at half strength.
• Use pots with drainage holes and empty saucers after watering.
• Bring plants indoors before nights fall below about 50°F (10°C), and keep them away from cold drafts.

Pruning. Pinch out growing tips regularly from spring through summer to encourage branching. Shorten leggy stems just above a pair of leaves, and remove flower spikes if you want to prioritize foliage.

Spring

Repot crowded indoor plants and trim back leggy growth as new growth begins.

Late spring

Gradually acclimatize plants to sheltered outdoor shade after frost risk has passed and nights are warm.

Summer

Keep soil evenly moist, feed container plants monthly and pinch growing tips.

Late summer

Take stem cuttings to keep compact young plants through winter.

Autumn

Move plants indoors before nights drop below about 50°F (10°C).

Winter

Provide bright, indirect light, stop routine feeding and water less often.

• Use as a low foliage edging along shaded paths in frost-free gardens or summer bedding.
• Combine with begonias and impatiens in sheltered containers for contrasting leaf and flower colour.
• Plant beneath taller tropical foliage plants to brighten shaded spaces.
• Group small pots on a bright, sun-filtered windowsill, where the leaf markings can be seen closely.

Garden styles it suits: Tropical, Modern tropical, Modern courtyard, Small-space, Pastel border and Victorian.

Plant it with: Coleus, Wax begonia, Impatiens, Caladium and Boston fern.

Wildlife: Small flowers may attract visiting insects in warm climates, but this is mainly a foliage plant and offers limited wildlife value.

• Leggy stems and weak leaf colour: move to brighter indirect light and pinch back the tips; avoid harsh midday sun.
• Wilting or crisp leaf edges: check soil moisture and water thoroughly if dry; shelter from hot sun and drying winds.
• Yellowing leaves and root rot: improve drainage, empty saucers and allow the soil surface to begin drying between waterings.
• Spider mites, aphids or mealybugs: isolate affected pots, rinse foliage and treat persistent infestations with a labelled insecticidal soap.

Not known to be toxic to cats, dogs, horses or people. The leaves, stems and flowers are not food; eating plant material may still cause mild stomach upset.

Where it spreads. An environmental weed in parts of Queensland and New South Wales, Australia, particularly in moist, shaded habitats. It is also naturalized in Hawaii. Avoid planting near bushland where it can escape, and remove flower spikes before seed forms.

• Satin pothos (Scindapsus pictus)

  Has thicker, heart-shaped leaves with silvery markings and climbing or trailing stems, rather than soft oval leaves on a branching upright plant.

• Coleus (Coleus scutellarioides)

  Usually has more strongly toothed leaf margins and broad patches or bands of colour rather than fine, scattered spots.

The common name refers to the contrasting spots scattered across the leaves.

Propagation. Take soft stem cuttings in spring or summer, remove the lower leaves and root them in moist potting mix in bright, indirect light. It can also be grown from seed sown warm under cover; seedlings may differ in leaf colour.

Accepted botanical name

Hypoestes phyllostachya

In the US and Canada

Introduced in Hawaii and Puerto Rico.

Native range

Madagascar.

Sources: GBIF (CC BY 4.0), USDA PLANTS and Trefle (CC BY 4.0). The care and design notes are LandscapeGPT's own.