Last updated on March 31st, 2023 at 06:58 am
In recent years, the demand for exotic and rare variegated plants has skyrocketed, leading to a boost of new trends: expensive and ‘premium’ plants.
Most variegated monsteras fall into this category, with the most expensive monstera worth thousands of bucks. The soaring demand, limited supply, and difficulty in propagation are the ones to blame, but what are the other factors that make variegated monsteras so expensive?
Table of Contents
Most Expensive Monstera Plant
Variegated Sweet Cheese Vine (Monstera adansonii ‘Variegata’)
Average Costs: $100 to $5000 or more
Variegated sweet cheese vine is the most expensive monstera in the market. The plant’s unique foliage shape and color, which is a combination of milky white or lime-white and dark green color, along with its thick, bright green stems, make them a highly sought-after foliage plant by gardeners and collectors.
The average well-established, mature plant of the variegated sweet cheese vine costs more than a thousand bucks, while with $100, you can only get one or two mature and healthy stems for propagation purposes.
Variegated Thai Constellation (Monstera deliciosa ‘Thai Constellation’)
Average Costs: $150 to $2000
Simply known as the Thai Constellation, this one of the most expensive monstera is notable for its striking split foliage and color pattern. Variegated Thai Constellation produces a similar color to the variegated sweet cheese vine, but with a splash of tiny dots and stripes of milky white or lime-white color.
The unusual looking of this plant, which makes it look as if they’ve been painted by hand, drives some collectors willing to spend thousands of dollars for a matured plant.
Monstera Obliqua
Average Costs: $800 to $3000
Not only naturally rare in nature, but monstera obliqua is also hauntingly not easy to propagate–although for as low as $800 you can get two or three stems to do propagation.
As one of the most expensive monstera in the market, monstera obliqua is most favored for its thin, dark green foliage that adorns super large holes. This could be challenging to find this gorgeous and unique monstera variety as they’re not always available for sale.
Variegated Sweet Cheese Plant (Monstera deliciosa ‘Albo Variegata’)
Average Costs: $100 to $5000
Sharing a similar look with the variegated sweet cheese vine, the variegated sweet cheese plant has broader and larger foliage that is more ‘tropical-looking’.
Variegated sweet cheese plant is also less glossy than its counterpart but requires the same growing conditions to thrive. Depending on the size and how established the plant is, a variegated sweet cheese plant with more than 10 foliage can cost you about $1000.
Golden Monstera (Monstera borsigiana ‘Aurea’)
Average Costs: $100 to $1500
As the name states, the golden monstera is one of the most expensive monstera that is ‘hunted’ for their bright golden-yellow or golden-lime color. This plant is also alarmingly beautiful with its glossy, split, heart-shaped foliage.
The young plant will start forming holes first before it turns into that split-shaped. The plant’s stunning hue is caused by a genetic mutation that is almost impossible to recreate if you do not have enough knowledge about how genetics works, making this plant more exclusive and not that easy to get.
Least Expensive Monstera Plant
Monstera Siltepecana
Average Costs: $50 to $300
If you’re not a fan of the most expensive monstera, or simply don’t want to hurt your wallet, the more affordable variety like monstera siltepecana can be a great option. This native to Central and South America is generally easy to maintain and is characterized by its arrowhead-shaped foliage with a dark green color base and silvery-white veins. To add, monstera siltepecana is a vining or climbing plant that could add aesthetic value in small growing spaces like hanging baskets, pots, and containers.
Monstera standleyana ‘Albo-variegata’
Average Costs: $50 to $200
The next alternative for the most expensive monstera you should consider growing is monstera standleyana ‘albo-variegata’. Known for its stunning elongated oblong-shaped dark green foliage with splashes of white or bright lime green color, the larger size of monstera standleyana ‘albo-variegata’ only costs about $200, a big gap in comparison to the variegated sweet cheese vine. The small to medium size monstera standleyana ‘albo-variegata’ makes them perfect to be placed in the living room and near windows, as long as there’s enough moisture, humidity, and most importantly–bright, indirect light.
Monstera karstenianum
Average Costs: $100 to $300
The last but not least alternative for the most expensive monstera with no less beautiful appearance is the monstera karstenianum. Also known as the ‘Peru Monstera’, this shade-loving plant is prized for its glossy, elongated oblong-shaped foliage with prominent veins. The color ranges from shades of green to dark lime green. This one is a vining monstera that needs stalks to support its growth and is also perfect to grow in much smaller spaces like hanging baskets, pots, and containers.
How Can You Afford the Most Expensive Monstera Variety?
Affording the most expensive monstera variety can be challenging for most people, however, with a bit of planning and creativity, it’s possible to add those gorgeous monstera varieties to your indoor garden. Here are our recommended tips on how to afford an expensive monstera plant without breaking the bank.
The first thing you want to do is, of course, the classic way of saving. Set a budget and goal of which monstera variety you would want to buy and consider starting to put aside money as soon as possible. This requires a lot of patience, but once you see the breathtaking monstera variety in your indoor garden, the wait will be worth it.
The next tip is to look around for discounts in both your local and offline nursery. As monstera varieties are generally plants that can not be propagated every month (this plant is slow-growing after all), it’s crucial to keep an eye so you don’t leave behind the newest variety available. You can also do propagation by stem cuttings but this trick requires a lot of patience and most of the time, there’s no guaranteed success.
The last tip is rather than stressing yourself out for getting the most expensive monstera variety, perhaps, you should try to grow the much cheaper alternatives instead. The Arum Family, including monsteras, has numerous plants and varieties you can pick–from philodendrons, photos, and ZZ plants, to caladiums, and they are all created equally as beautiful!
Most Expensive Variegated Monstera: Is It Worth Buying?
Although spending thousands of dollars for a single plant might be daunting for some people, for plant enthusiasts, this most expensive monstera variety is a ‘premium’ foliage plant that can be a unique personal infestation and spark some joy for whoever owns them.
Nonetheless, there are always much cheaper options available, like the dainty monstera siltepecana. If you are passionate about monsteras, both of these expensive and their more wallet-friendly options are worth considering.
New author in the hood. Loves gardening and flowers are my spirit animals (yes I know they are not animals but I insist). I will be covering most of the flowers’ topics here and occasionally random though as well.
