Mike Lyle wrote:

I gave my mother a well rooted cutting of either a Heptapleurum sp.
or a Schefflera sp. a couple of years ago, and it's lived through two
south-of-London winters outdoors without any sign of distress.

Mike, the plant you mean was formerly Heptapleurum arboricola, but it
has been transferred to another genus and is now Schefflera
arboricola. It was a very popular 'pot plant' when first heavily
marketed back in the '70's and superseded Schefflera actinophylla as a
more manageable indoor plant. Of course that name has been changed as
well, so what was the Schefflera is now Brassaia actinophylla!

How can I tell which it is before I start telling you all the thing
is surprisingly hardy?

The green form is very tough and easily withstands light to medium
frosts. I'm not at all surprised that you can keep it going outside in
your garden. A bit of light overhead shade - possibly from a nearby
evergreen tree, will ensure its survival in all but the coldest of
winters. You will find that it makes a very handsome garden plant and
will never become as leggy as it does indoors. It takes to hard
pruning in any case and will eventually develop into a splendid
specimen.

I have the variegated form, which I've ear-marked for planting in the
increasing shade of Cornus capitata. It has been sitting outside in a
pot for a couple of years and really does need to get its roots into
the soil. It will bring some cheery splashes of yellow into what is
otherwise a bit of a drab corner.


Dave Poole
Torquay, Coastal South Devon UK
Winter min -2°C. Summer max 34°C.
Growing season: March - November