What are hypoestes?
These small houseplants are also known as polka dot plants, although their brightly coloured leaves aren’t regularly spotted as this name implies – instead they’re often almost entirely splashed with colour. Different cultivars come in various shades of either pink, red or white, some with very little green, others with more.
Plants can grow to about 30cm (1ft) tall over time, but can be kept low and bushy by pinching out any tall, straggly shoots and flower stems.
As they need humid air, they are ideal for growing in a terrarium, or a humid bathroom. In dry air, the leaves can start to turn brown. Especially when sold in small pots, these plants can be relatively inexpensive, so it’s easy to put together a vibrant collection. Planting several different colours in one container can look very striking.
Choosing hypostes
Although only one species, Hypoestes phyllostachya, is widely sold as a houseplant, there are many cultivars that are very varied in appearance. Leaves splashed with red, pink and white are common, but these colours can range in intensity from bright magenta to coral, lavender and cream.
Select healthy plants that show no signs of withering, leaf browning or damage, and have well-developed roots. Inspect the leaves for any insects too.
Buying hypoestes
Hypoestes are often sold in multi-packs or as reasonably priced small potted plants in the houseplant area of garden centres and from online retailers. Although generally sold without Gardeners often use the word variety when referring to a specific plant, but the correct botanical term is 'cultivar'. Whichever word you use, it means a distinctive plant or plants, given a specific cultivar name and usually bred to enhance certain characteristics, such as flower or fruit size, colour, flavour or fragrance, plant size, hardiness, disease resistance, etc. Additionally, it is worth knowing that, botanically, variety has another meaning - it refers to a naturally-occurring distinct plant that only has slight differences in its looks. For example, Malva alcea var. fastigiata differs from typical plants by having an upright habit.
cultivar names in mixed selections, you may see the following for sale: