A breathtaking plant and price

WORDS BY MARTINE AAMODT HESS

Leaves like marble. Fierce online bidding wars. Thousands of pounds for a single cutting. This is the saga of the stunning Variegated Monstera.

Owing to its luscious green and perforated leaves, the Monstera has become the star of both our Instagram feeds and interior magazines. Its photogenic nature and ability to liven up any space means that it is hard to imagine any plant challenging its status - other than itself that is. Enter the Variegated Monstera. This variation of the plant has all the qualities we know and love, but its creamy specks and spots make it a showstopper. Plant enthusiasts swoon, but the Variegated Monstera is rare and in high-demand, leading to a hefty price tag.

What makes the Variegated Monstera so striking is that sections of the plant vary in colour. This is due to a mutation that causes lower chlorophyll production. Among the different types is the ‘Thai Constellation’, the name referring to the stars due to its milky speckled variegation. Another favourite is the ‘Albo’ which is characterised by larger swaths of white forming a crisp marbled pattern. “Some of these plants produce the most amazing variegation. We can’t deny how stunning they are,” says Belle Chawisa, also known as @plantattic on Instagram. Her extensive collection of houseplants, kept in her Newcastle-flat, has attracted more than 20,000 followers. To no surprise, the 27-year-old has an eye for the Variegated Monstera. She explains that other popular types include yellow variegation and more recently on the market: ‘Sport’ which is lime-coloured, as well as ‘Mint’ and ‘White Monster’ for which the name suggests the colour of the variegation.

Since the first lockdown, interest in urban gardening has spiked and the market for Variegated Monsteras has become fiercer than ever before. “In this current climate, prices are skyrocketing in every part of the world, so it’ll be interesting to see how the market plays out in 2021,” says Belle. In January, one ‘Mint’ cutting was sold by a Swedish aroid collector on eBay for £2,800. On the other side of the globe, an ‘Albo’ mother plant sparked a bidding war and sold for nearly £3,000 after receiving 182 bids on the New Zealand website Trade Me. “I think online listings can naturally get crazy which can also be unfortunate for buyers as that sets the standard for how much that plant ‘should’ get sold for,” says Belle. Though she is quick to add that people tend to see it as an investment. “I personally think it’s up to the individual and how they want to spend their money as we all have different priorities in life,” she concludes.

Katie Elyse, on the other hand, is frustrated by the price increase. The 28-year-old started collecting houseplants four years ago and teaches classes on plant care and propagation. “It makes me really sad to see that the market is changing so drastically and it’s becoming more of a competition and cash grab for something that makes people genuinely happy,” she says. One of the main reasons why Katie became involved in the community was because of people’s generous nature, whether that means sharing advice or swapping plants. She points out that it has become more difficult to find genuine collectors who are curating their plants because it brings them joy and not just for the clout or the ‘quick buck’. While Katie appreciates the beauty of the Variegated Monstera, she believes the popularity is not entirely owed to its good looks: “I think it’s just the basic principle of wanting what you don’t have. They’re stunning plants and seeing something that, unfortunately, has a really high price tag creates a feeling of rarity and status if you are able to own one.”

According to Belle, both type and location determine the price: “I wouldn’t consider the ‘Albo’ for example as rare as they have been on the market and readily available in nurseries in the Netherlands.” The yellow variegated Monsteras, in contrast, are more difficult to come by in the West as they have increased in price in Asia. This is where European sellers would normally import from, meaning that each business has to decide if the increased cost price is worth it. “Now, the Mint variegation is probably the most sought after, but they are extremely expensive, making them inaccessible for many plant enthusiasts.”

When it comes to plant care, Belle says that some people lose interest in variegated plants because they can be difficult to maintain: “The variegation is basically a defect on an area of the plant. Because it doesn’t produce chlorophyll, it is natural for it to go brown over time as it can’t produce energy for the plant. The more variegation, although beautiful, the more detrimental it can be for the plant as it might not be able to sustain itself.”

Variegated Monsteras are the same as every other aroid in the sense that they thrive in humid conditions and need plenty of sunlight to grow. However, Katie underlines that monsteras are particularly dependent on light in order to produce perforated leaves with mid-rib holes. And when you add a lack of chlorophyll production on top of that, you need to compensate for it. “My general rule of thumb is, if I’ve got any type of variegation in a plant, I know I need to double the amount of light I would give it if it was all green,” Katie advises.

In other words, there are a couple of hinders along the way if you decide to pursue the Variegated Monstera. Still, Belle does not believe this should put you off the plant entirely. “Some people have been very lucky to find yellow and green variegation in garden centres and supermarkets,” she says. Belle also emphasises that, despite its delicateness, she does not think the Variegated Monstera is the most difficult plant to care for. Her advice? “Definitely do your research prior, same for every new species you bring into your environment.”