Why are my Variegated Leaves Reverting?

Variegated foliage is a joy; but what happens when leaves go maverick and come out pure green? They’re just doing the best they can in the battle to survive. So what’s the deal? Green means chlorophyll and chlorophyll is the magic component that captures sunlight and uses it to convert carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into oxygen and food for the plant. Think tiny solar panels.

The greener the leaf, the more successful the leaf. Great for the pure green versions, but not so good for the variegated vibe. Luckily there’s a simple solution: ‘Off with their heads’ as the Queen of Hearts so callously demanded in Alice in Wonderland. Snip green leaves off at the stalk the moment they make an appearance. Brutal but effective.

So down to the nitty gritty. Variegated evergreen foliage provides year-round interest and the flashes, stripes and patches of pale creams, whites, golds and even pinks against green or yellow bases provide often luminous highlights for duller nooks and colour palettes in the garden.

As the pale and interesting parts of the leaves are short of chlorophyll, it’s normally best to plant variegated varieties in sunny positions. This ensures that what chlorophyll there is will function at maximum capacity to provides energy for growth via the chemical process of photosynthesis. The technical term for throwing an unmarked green leaf is ‘reversion’, and this is a pretty good indication that your variegated lovely is having a hissy fit and demanding a brighter, sunnier spot for home base.

Check out our fun video below to see how to manage reverting variegated leaves!

Trees, shrubs large and small, climbers, bamboos and grasses can all be variegated. Clever planting schemes will combine a variety of foliage type to great effect – weaving in the colours, shapes and forms of variegation is a brilliant manifestation of exterior design.

A word of warning though; as with so many good things, less is more. Too much variegation and you will land up with a confusion of pattern and rather more of the Jackson Pollock look than you may have intended!

Just to get you started, some of our variegated favourites include Golden privet, Silver Surprise Californian Lilac, Evergold Sedge Grass Plants (recommended as low maintenance variegated plants) and the glorious Harlequin Norway Maple Tree. Happy designing!