PPP: Innocent until Proven Guilty
- Lynn Adkison
- Mar 15
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 30
Ladies and gentlemen of the plant world, the naysayers would have you believe all Philodendron Pink Princesses are bad, but when you look at the evidence - the REAL evidence - you'll find that every single charge traces back to not their failure, but to our own failed expectations. PPPs, beautiful, dark and brooding, were the "IT" plant not so very long ago, and now, due to dubious purchase habits, poor lighting, questionable support, and a lack of appropriate humidity, there are bashers on the interwebs downgrading their status to 'overrated.' Not so, I posit. These beauties are particular, yes, but what princess is not?
Count One: Disorderly Growth
It has been brought to my attention that some people feel the PPP is 'overrated' due to a lack of consistent growth pattern. They have leaves poking out from every direction with no real structure or cohesive order to the madness. As their defense attorney of record, I must object.
Looking leggy is not an altogether uncommon philodendron trait in general, especially when the plant in question is not getting enough light. In the case of the PPP, even MORE light than normal is required, as they are a dark-leafed plant, meaning they are always greedy for more and photosynthesize more faster than a lighter green variety. When they do not get enough light, they do what every plant does - they reach. Out, up, sideways, every-which-way in order to find it.
Count Two: Failure to Stand Upright
Similar to the last count, this one hinges on the premise that PPPs are self-heading and thus MUST be able to stand on their own. Well, here's the thing. They can. It just isn't going to look as tidy as what you probably were originally thinking.
PPPs are vining philodendrons. Unlike some self-heading varieties (e.g. Prince of Orange, Birkin, Rojo Congo), PPPs fall into a mid-category of self-heading/climbing/vining varieties that put out leaves in all directions in search of support. Unlike Monsteras, which produce large, noticeable aerial roots, PPP is more of a delicate rooter, making it more versatile for trellises or smaller stakes. That said, they absolutely can be left alone, but the result will not be a large-leafed, robust plant. Instead, you'll end up with a wobbly mess prone to falling over at the slightest breeze.
Count Three: Producing Leaves of Diminutive Stature
Ladies and gentlemen, I would have thought that most plant parents would know the answer to this one before it even got asked. And yet, the PPP is still at fault. If the leaves produced by a plant are getting progressively smaller, the plant is certainly not to blame.
All plants, PPP or not, require light to survive. And while darker varieties of philodendron can live in less light than some of the lighter colored ones, it doesn't mean they thrive there. If you want a full, lush leaf on your PPP, you must give her at least 5-6 hours of bright indirect sunlight a day. I would even argue for more than that. Additionally, you must feed the beast. A well-fed (or McDonald's fed) plant, grows larger and more fully than one missing out on kibble.
Count Four: Requiring Assistance During Unfurling
Friends, this one almost doesn't bear mentioning. Today alone I assisted in the unfurling of a Joepii and I am keeping an eye on a Birkin that looks like it may be stuck. And this is in a temperature-regulated, humidity heightened spare room Greenhouse.
If you are growing a PPP in your home and the humidity does not stay at or around 70% in your home at all times, then you will have to help with unfurling. Have you even seen a new leaf? Like, ever? This is clearly not a PPP problem; rather, good sirs and madams, your houses are deserts.
Count Five: Variegation Reverting
And perhaps the most salacious charge of all. The PPP, it is alleged, will simply...stop being pink. Will revert, slowly and without remorse, to a plain green philodendron, robbing the unsuspecting plant parent of the very thing they paid for.
I will admit, your honors, that this one has some merit. Variegation in PPPs is unstable by nature — it is a chimeric mutation, meaning the pink sectors exist in specific layers of the plant's tissue and can, under the wrong conditions, be outcompeted by the green.
However. The conditions under which reversion occurs are not random. They are, almost without exception, created by us. Too little light and the plant prioritizes chlorophyll — green — because green is what keeps it alive. Propagation from the wrong node can produce entirely green offspring. Buying from a big box store means you have no idea what the variegation history of that plant looks like or whether it was stable to begin with.
Buy from someone who has watched the plant produce consistent variegation over time. Give her the light she's asking for. And she will stay pink.
Closing Argument
Ladies and gentlemen of the plant world, we have reviewed the evidence. We have examined the charges one by one. And what have we found?
Disorderly growth — caused by insufficient light and lack of support. Not guilty.
Failure to stand upright — caused by treating a vining philodendron like a self-heading one. Not guilty.
Leaves of diminutive stature — caused by inadequate light and feeding. Not guilty.
Requiring assistance during unfurling — caused by living in a house that is, frankly, a desert. Not guilty.
Failure to maintain variegation — caused by poor sourcing, insufficient light, and propagation negligence. Not guilty.
The Philodendron Pink Princess is not overrated. She is misunderstood. She is particular, yes. She has requirements, yes. But show me a princess who doesn't.
She came into your home and did exactly what she was going to do under the conditions you provided. The only question worth asking is whether those conditions were worthy of her.
I rest my case.
We may or may not have a few Pink Princesses available in the Greenhouse right now, including a mother plant actively pushing new growth. Just saying. The Greenhouse rests its case too.
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