Picture Perfect Peperomias: 3 Adorable & Easy Varieties

Peperomias are quickly stealing the houseplant spotlight. They’re beautiful, easy to take care of, and there are over 1,000 varieties in the world! These succulent-type plants have thick fleshy leaves that make them drought-tolerant, so they’ll be just fine if you forget to water them for a little while. 

With so many different types of peperomia available, you could have a whole collection, and each plant could have a completely unique look and growing habit. There is so much variation amongst different peperomia that some of them don’t even look like they belong to the same family.

While there are many peperomia to choose from, we’ve got a few favorites. Here are 3 plants that we think you might want to add to your houseplant collection. 

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Ruby Cascade

Peperomia Ruby Cascade is a beautiful trailing type of peperomia. It features leaves that are a rich dark green on top and a gorgeous ruby red on the bottom. The stems are also dark red. 

Ruby cascade is one of the smaller types of peperomia; the leaves only get to about half an inch across. While the leaves are small, the vines are very vigorous, and with the right light, they can grow several feet long. 

This peperomia is perfect for a hanging pot or sitting on a high shelf near a north, west, or east-facing window. It does need bright light, but it doesn’t like direct sunlight on its leaves. This peperomia is a fairly fast grower, and it’s tough. You don’t need to water it very often; you can let the soil dry out before watering. If the soil feels damp, wait, and check again in a few days or a week.

Variegated Peperomia

Officially, the name of this plant is Peperomia obtusifolia Variegata. Commonly, it’s often called Variegated Peperomia, or Variegated Baby Rubber Plant. It features large amazing leaves with a thick, waxy feel. The variegation on each leaf is unique, featuring a different pattern and combination of shades of green, from dark green to a lovely creamy pale green. 

Variegated peperomia features larger leaves than Ruby Cascade, with leaves getting as big as 3 inches long and wide, in an oval shape. This peperomia grows a bit more slowly than other types, but will eventually develop itself into a bushy plant. 

This is a low-light dream plant. It does not like direct sunlight, and will happily thrive in a room with a window or under artificial light. 

Also drought tolerant, this peperomia does not need water very frequently. Check the soil first, and make sure it’s dry before giving it more water. 

Pilea Peperomioides

This last one is technically not part of the peperomia plant family, but it has similar appearances and care requirements as peperomia, and it’s also super popular. The Peperomioides part of the name means that it resembles peperomias. Also known as Chinese money plant, coin plant, pancake plant, friendship plant, UFO plant, and simply: pilea, it is a unique and easy care plant. 

Pilea features large, perfectly round leaves on long slender stems in a rich, vibrant green shade. These plants do like a bit more bright light, but they also don’t like direct sunlight. They’re quite drought-tolerant but will probably need slightly more frequent watering than peperomias because their leaves and stems are a bit thinner. Check the soil, and if it feels dry to the touch on top, give it a watering. 

Pilea’s are often called friendship plants because they put up new plant pups around the base on the regular. If your plant does this, you can either leave the pups to grow, creating a fuller-looking bushy pot of plants, or you can remove them. 

To remove pilea pups, wait until they are at least an inch or two tall, then carefully remove the plant and all the soil out of the pot. With a clean, sharp knife, cut down between the pup and mother plant to separate them, making sure the pup has a chunk of root with it. Then repot them both and let them get back to growing. 

If you’d like to add either of these peperomias or a pilea to your houseplant collection, stop by the garden center for a visit. We’ve got a wide selection of gorgeous houseplants available.