Complete Care Guide: Philodendron Painted Lady
Complete Care Guide: Philodendron Painted Lady
In this article, you'll find…
Plant Info
Care Guide
Lighting
Watering
Humidity
Soil Needs
Types
Propagating
Common Issues
Frequently Asked Questions
Plant Info
A climbing philodendron, Painted Lady grows as a thick, fleshy vine that will eventually need support to keep growing upwards. Leaves, which are at the ends of long petioles, are narrow, elongated hearts that occasionally meet the petioles at strange-looking angles. New leaves will come in bright yellow with enough light, and then eventually, as they harden, parts of each leaf will darken to a light green, leaving a mottled, painted appearance with reddish-pink margins to each leaf. They come in protected by thin, red sheaths called "cataphylls"; when they leaf unfurls, the cataphyll will dry out and fall off (so don't worry -- that's natural!). Even better, the stems and petioles are that same gorgeous reddish-pink!
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Common Name(s) |
Philodendron Painted Lady |
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Botanical Name |
Philodendron erubescens 'Painted Lady' |
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Botanical Family |
Araceae, the aroid family |
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Mature Size |
Quite large, up to 6 feet tall or more! |
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Lighting |
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Watering |
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Humidity |
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Soil Mix |
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Flowers |
Insignificant and not what Painted Lady is grown for! |
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Hardiness |
Tropical; keep above 15C/60F. |
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Native Region |
Wild form of P. erubescens is native to Colombia |
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Toxicity |
Take a look at this care guide as an infographic!
Care Guide
Philodendron Painted Lady is yet another cultivar of Philodendron erubescens, the 'Blushing Philodendron'. P. erubescens has become somewhat ubiquitous in the horticultural trade -- in fact, it's very likely that you've encountered other cultivars of this same species before! (More on the specifics of that later!)
Remember that you'll want to give your Painted Lady some support as she grows -- the best support is always a moss pole, but you can even just use wooden skewers and she'll appreciate it!
If she's a happy Painted Lady, you may also find babies appearing at her base -- these can be left in the pot for a fuller look, or separated once they have a few leaves of their own (more on this later as well).
Lighting
Philodendron Painted Lady will survive in low-medium bright lighting situations, but her variegation will be lower while she tries to get as much energy from the available light as possible. Brighter light will lead to faster growth, bigger leaves, and far more yellow on each leaf, as well as the bright pinkish-red margins -- so give her as much bright, indirect lighting as you can!
Make sure to check out our general article on lighting!
Watering
Watering a Painted Lady is pretty typical for the average houseplant, including most philodedrons -- you want the substrate to dry out a bit between waterings, but not dry out all the way (or else she'll start to wilt and droop)! Ideally, let the top 1/3 to 1/2 of the substrate dry out inbetween waterings -- there are a ton of factors that can go into how often this means, so it's best to check your plant every few days to see if she needs a drink!
Make sure to check out our general article on watering!
Humidity
Philodendrons in general will appreciate higher-than-average humidity -- and your Painted Lady is no exception -- as it'll allow the leaves to unfurl more easily, among other things! If you can, give her a humidity boost by running a humidifier or by creating a microclimate by grouping her with other plants.
Make sure to check out our general article on humidity – including a couple common myths!
Soil Needs
Philodendron Painted Lady is an epiphyte like most philodendrons, meaning that the wild forms generally don't grow in the ground but instead on trees! Roots need a well-draining mix, with lots of air pockets, as well as some chunkiness to hold on to.
Suggestion: Start with 2 parts peat-based potting mix or coco coir, mix in 1 part perlite, and 1-2 parts orchid bark.
Don't know why you're adding these things? Check out our article on potting mixes!
Types
There a million cultivars of Philodendron erubescens in cultivation -- and I'm not entirely sure that that's an exaggeration some days! Some examples other than Painted Lady include:
- Birkin
- McColley's Finale
- Moonlight
- Pink Princess
- Prince of Orange
- Summer Glory
- Red Sun
- White Knight
- White Princess
- White Wizard
...and more! Not all of these are climbing vines, either -- because of hybridization, some of them are called "self-heading", and grow as rosettes instead!
Propagating
Want more baby plants? You can easily propagate with stem cuttings, the exact same way as you do with most vining houseplants!
Simply cut off a section of stem with a few leaves, just above a node (where the leaves meet the stem), take off the lowest leaf or two (making sure to leave at least one leaf on it, but ideally a few), and then stick it in water or a moist substrate, making sure that at least one node stays moist. Put it in a bright spot for a few weeks, and you'll see roots forming!
Even easier, though, is to keep your Painted Lady happy for a while and wait -- eventually, with enough time and light/energy, she'll start producing little babies at the bottom of her vine! Keep taking care of her as usual, and the babies (or pups) will grow alongside her -- once they have a few true leaves, and are showing their mature variegation, you can separate them out! Simply take the plant out of her pot, and clear away as much soil as possible at the base of the baby; once you've uncovered the connection between mother and baby, simply take a sharp, clean knife to it! Make sure that the pup has roots of its own before separating, ideally -- otherwise, you're effectively rooting a cutting, and it has a chance of not surviving on its own!
Check out our articles on water propagation, soil propagation, or air layering for more details on common propagation methods!
Common Issues
There aren't really any common issues for the Philodendron Painted Lady -- it's a pretty easygoing, easy-care plant! All houseplants are susceptible to pests, including mealybugs, spider mites, and more, but Painted Lady isn't known to be particularly susceptible to any specific pest!
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are the new leaves on my Painted Lady yellow?
This is normal! New leaves come in mostly yellow, and then as they harden off, you'll see parts of it turn green and the mottled, painted appearance will shine through.
Why does part of each new leaf fall off?
This isn't technically part of the leaf itself, but a protective leaf-sheath called a cataphyll. All philodendrons have them in some form or another, though in many philodendrons they're part of the petioles of the previous leaf. In some philodendrons, the cataphylls are "persistent" -- they stick around once the leaf has unfurled -- but in Painted Lady (and most philodendrons), they're considered "deciduous", and once the leaf they're there to protect has unfurled and is starting to harden off/mature, they'll automatically dry up and fall off. No cause for panic!