PlantFiles: Polka-Dot Plant, Freckle Face
Hypoestes phyllostachya 'Confetti Pink'

This took me by surprise when it grew fine on the porch. Even went through the 07 freeze to sprout and thrive. It is a fertilizer hog when the weather is warm putting out lush large foliage. Good really for large planters alone or mixed with other flashy tropicals.
It looks ultra tropical but has a cool,freeze free winters hardiness.

we grow it as a house plant.

I rescued a pot of this from a local department store, and decided to keep it as a houseplant. I was greatly surprised to note that a few weeks later, it started blooming. In December! It seems to grow fairly quickly, and has adorable little purple flowers. Over-all, it makes an excellent houseplant, although it does tend to require frequent waterings.

Grows easily in zone 10. Requires little care. Seems happiest in partial shade. Normal watering. Makes for interesting contrast with other plants.

I have a shaded bed where I have had difficulty growing blooming plants, but the Polka Dot plant has done beautifully and gives me just that little touch of color that really makes my bed attractive, summer or winter. I use it as a border plant in front of larger dark green foliage plants, and it is really quite striking. It is always nice to find something that seems well adapted to our rather extreme climate here in South Texas.

Grown as an annual (or overwintered indoors) here in zone 7.

Plants will become more of a bush if grown in sun and seem to be happier despite what they say about this plant liking shade. The plants growing in shade grow low and hug the ground and lack the happy appearance of the sun plants, although it flowered in shade, not in sun. I found that plants need have constantly moist soil in shade, but not in sun.

'Confetti Pink' was my first Hypoestes cultivar about 10 years ago. It has been a pleasure in my somewhat shady garden. It self seeds. The flowers are insignificant. It offers bright little foliage even in the winter here in central Florida.