Dumb cane: big cream-and-green splashed leaves on a fast, upright plant that tolerates the low light of a north room — ‘Camille’, ‘Tropic Marianne’, ‘Starbright’, ‘Amy’ and the smaller ‘Compacta’, all.
Most brightly variegated houseplants demand bright light to keep their color. Dieffenbachia is the exception: its broad leaves, splashed and feathered in cream and lime, hold their pattern in a north-facing room or the far side of a living room where a croton would fade. It grows quickly on a thick cane, fills a floor pot in a season, and forgives irregular watering — which is why it has been an office and lobby plant for a century.
The five we carry cover the range: ‘Camille’ with creamy centers edged in green, ‘Tropic Marianne’ almost entirely cream-yellow, ‘Starbright’ with fine green speckling, ‘Amy’ in mid-green with white flecks, and ‘Compacta’ for a smaller pot. One caution before you buy: the sap numbs the mouth and throat — hence the name — so it is not the plant for a house with plant-chewing pets or toddlers. The rest of the bench is on our Houseplants page.
These are the dieffenbachia varieties we commonly carry. Availability changes week to week and season to season, so call (480) 987-3308 or stop in to see what’s on the bench today.
Mid-green leaves flecked with white on a full, bushy plant. One of the more shade-tolerant selections and a good office plant.
The classic: wide leaves with a creamy-white center and a broad green margin. Compact for a dieffenbachia, topping out around two to three feet indoors. Holds its pattern in medium to low light.
A smaller-growing form with the classic cream-and-green variegation on a plant that stays around eighteen inches. For a desk, counter or side table.
Green leaves finely speckled and streaked with white, a subtler pattern that suits a modern room. Upright, fast and tough.
Leaves almost entirely pale yellow-cream with a thin green edge — the brightest of the group. Wants a little more light than ‘Camille’ to stay vigorous, but still no direct sun.
Looking for one that isn’t listed? Ask — we can usually suggest a close match or tell you when it tends to come around.
The care tag was written somewhere else. This is the Queen Creek version.
Dieffenbachia thrives in medium to low indirect light: a north window, a few feet from an east window, or across the room from a south one. It is one of the few variegated plants that keeps its pattern in a dim room. Direct sun through Arizona glass scorches the leaves in an afternoon; keep it out of west windows entirely.
These are warm-room plants: below about 60°F, or in the steady blast from an air-conditioning vent, the lower leaves yellow and drop and the cane can rot at the base. Keep it away from registers and doors that open to the outside in winter. Our indoor humidity is low but dieffenbachia tolerates it; a wipe of the leaves every few weeks keeps them clean and breathing.
Lower leaves drop naturally as the cane lengthens, and after a few years you have a tuft of leaves on a bare stalk. That is normal. Cut the cane back to six or eight inches in spring; it resprouts from the stump within weeks, and the cut top roots in water or damp mix for a second plant. Wear gloves — the sap irritates skin.
Water when the top inch of mix is dry, then thoroughly, and empty the saucer. Roughly weekly in summer with the AC running, every ten to fourteen days in winter. Soft yellow lower leaves and a soggy pot mean too much water; drooping with dry soil means too little, and it recovers quickly once watered. Flush the pot every couple of months to clear hard-water salts.
A standard indoor potting mix with a little added perlite, in a heavy pot with drainage — a tall cane in a light pot tips over. Repot every two years or when roots fill the pot. Feed a balanced liquid fertilizer at half strength monthly from March through October; skip it in winter.
Every part of the plant contains calcium oxalate crystals that numb and swell the mouth and throat if chewed. Keep it away from pets and small children and wash your hands after pruning. Mealybugs and spider mites appear in dry air; insecticidal soap handles them. Outdoors it wants full shade in the mild months only, and comes in well before frost.
Yellowing, spots, no new growth — snap a photo of the plant and its window and we’ll diagnose it at the bench. Advice is free.
We stock indoor potting mix, orchid bark and perlite for the chunky blends aroids and epiphytes want, balanced houseplant fertilizers, insecticidal soap and neem for the usual mealybug and mite visits, and moss poles, hoops and saucers. The pottery yard has terracotta, glazed and lightweight pots from 4-inch up, plus hanging baskets and cache pots.
Yes. Chewing any part causes intense burning, swelling and temporary loss of speech — the reason for the name dumb cane — and it is dangerous for cats, dogs and small children. It is a fine plant for a home without chewers; otherwise choose a pet-safe plant like a peperomia or calathea.
One or two at a time from the bottom is normal as the cane grows taller. Many at once means the plant is too cold, sitting in the airflow of a vent, or being overwatered. Move it somewhere warm and still and let the mix dry out more between waterings.
Medium to low indirect light — it is one of the best variegated plants for a north room or an office. Keep it out of direct sun, especially west-facing windows in summer.
Yes. Cut the cane back to six to eight inches in spring; it resprouts from the stump. The cut top will root in water. Wear gloves, because the sap irritates skin.
When the top inch of soil is dry — about weekly in summer indoors, every ten to fourteen days in winter. Water thoroughly and never leave the pot standing in water.
On a fully shaded patio in spring and fall only. It has no tolerance for direct sun, dry summer heat or frost, so most people keep it indoors all year here.
Dieffenbachia live on the houseplant bench; any staff member can point you to them. Locally owned, and a short drive from San Tan Valley, Gilbert, Chandler and Mesa.