How often do you see an orange houseplant? The answer is: almost never. This rare and unusual philodendron will be one of the stars of your collection. New leaves emerge yellow, then turn a bright orange, before slowly transforming to lush green. 

To make sure new leaves turn orange your plant will need lots of light. It likes a spot that’s really bright but out of direct sun, which can scorch the leaves. If it gets too little light the leaves will emerge green rather than orange. 

There are many different varieties of philodendron. Most of them grow as vines but this one is a little different. Its leaves emerge from the centre, so it grows into a lovely round, full shape. It will eventually grow to about 60cm across, becoming a real eye-catcher.

There are almost 500 species of philodendron in the wild. You won’t actually find ‘Prince of Orange’ in the wild as it’s a specially bred variety, but its relatives grow in the branches of large trees, getting all their nutrition via aerial roots. Because it doesn’t usually grow in the ground, this plant doesn’t need loads of water. You can let it almost dry out between drinks. As long as there’s a bit of moisture in the soil it will be fine. A good mist every few days will also keep it growing healthily. 

Did you know?

The word philodendron means ‘heart tree’ in Greek, because the leaves are usually heart-shaped. That’s not true of this plant, but that doesn’t make it any less loveable.