Variegated plants

It is probably on of the most popular topics when it comes to plants: variegated plants. Recently a Monstera adansonii variegata was sold within half an hour at a garden center in Belgium for € 1.799,-. Not all variegated plants are this expensive, but that they are more expensive than more common plants is a thing we can not deny. A quick glance at Marktplaats (Dutch E-Bay) shows that cuttings of a Monstera deliciosa variegata with just one leaf are sold for about € 40,-. But why are these plants so expensive? Let’s dive into the wonderful world of variegated plants.

What is a variegated plant?

Variegated means that the current form of a plant changes. This could happen in different areas and therefore a variation is not always desirable. ‘Variegata’ or ‘variegated’ in the name of a plant refers to a mutation that causes a difference in colour on the leaves. The most common variegations are white zones on the leaves. Variegated plants need more care because the white parts of the leaves are pretty delicate and you can burn them. Therefore it is important to place variegated plants at a spot without direct sunlight.

Supply and demand

There are two reasons why variegated plants are that expensive and these reasons are related. In fact it is quite simple: it is al about one of the groundrules of economics: supply and demand. Variegated plants are rare and therefore the supply is low. The other reason is the popularity of variegated plants. Unique, rare plants are most common bought by collectors at first. They share their new asset on social media where plantfluencers spot it. When a plantfluencer with a large audience could manage to get one of these unique variegated plants and shares it on social media, the demand for this plants grows rapidly. Prices raise when the demand is much higher than the supply. In case of very rare plants like the Monstera adansonii variegata is the demand extremely high and the supply very low, which results in extreme prices.

Eden Collection and variegated plants

It is a challenge for nurseries to meet the high demand for rare plants. Especially for new plant species, since they must be researched and multiplied first. There it takes a while before you have a plant that is ready to be sold. In reality this means that it is not possible to grow as much plants to meet the high demand, which results in a higher price for the plant.

The variegated plants trend is on top of mind in our nursery for a few years now. Our planthunter collected a wide variety of plants. Together with our breeder he is working on new plant species. Our prediction is that the demand for rare plants is here to stay and that there will be lots of innovations. Currently we are at the start of some new things and there is a beautiful, unique and green (with a little white) future ahead of us.

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