Coloured leaves

There are many plants with curious and colourful leaves that you can display in your home or garden. Coloured leaves can refer to plants with leaves of an entirely different colour other than green, or plants with leaves featuring mixed colours and patterns.

When looking to identify your plant by the colour of its leaves it is important to note the following tips:

• Think about the shade of colour that your plant has; it is a deep colour or very pale?
• For patterned or multi-coloured leaves, make note of which colours it has and the pattern they make on the leaves or branches.
• Look where the colour is prominent on your plant; is it confined to the leaves or is the stem coloured as well?

Here we have selected a short list of the ones we find most interesting:

Begonia – This flowering plant comes from Brazil and many varieties have coloured, patterned leaves. The begonia rex for example has large, pointed leaves patterned with deep red shades.

Stromanthe – This plant produces fanlike sprays of leaves that come in shades of red, green and white. Each leaf has a ‘mottled’ pattern of colour, giving it a distinctive, asymmetrical look.

Oxalis – Producing deep purple leaves, the oxalis, also known as wood sorrel, is a popular choice of plant for homes and conservatories. Its clover-shaped leaves open during the day and close up at night to save energy.