Wikipedia has a simple explanation about variegated leaf that a novice like me can understand easily. It says that a variegated leaf has green and non-green parts. The green parts contain chlorophyll so that they can photosynthesise but the non-green parts have no chlorophyll so they cannot photosynthesise.

Variegated leaf plants do stand out from other plants. I have a few of such plants in my garden but they are very different in their level of plant care requirement.

I have two Sweetheart Hoya Variegated leaves rooting in my garden. I have learnt that variegated leaf-type hoya is a fussy plant. It cannot be overwatered, cannot be placed under direct sunlight and requires high humidity to survive, else it will easily wither.



However, a Baby Rubber Plant (Peperomia Obtusifolia Variegata) is very easy to maintain. I have two Baby Rubber Plants in my garden. One is in a small combo pot which was propagated using stem cuttings. The other is in one of my strawberry pot pockets. Both plants are undershade and are exposed to indirect evening sun. The leaves are oval in shape and grow slowly. I water them daily.

Here is something interesting about propagating a Chimera variegated leaf cutting. A study reveals that new shoots can have the properties of the region of the leaf from which they regenerate. The new shoots are never true-to-type to the parent variegation.