Creating large leafy indoors

If you’re like most busy homeowners, you want your indoor plants to tolerate substandard growing conditions and some neglect now and then. The umbrella plant, also known as schefflera, delivers on this.

Umbrella tree (Schefflera actinophylla) is ideal for creating a large leafy statement indoors, growing to around 2m tall. It’s a low-maintenance tropical-looking indoor plant, perfect for time-poor gardeners.

How to grow umbrella tree in a pot

Choose a spot indoors that is well lit but away from direct sunlight. Being a tall growing plant, an empty corner of a room is ideal for an umbrella tree.

Fill the pot (halfway) with Yates Thrive Indoor Plants Potting Mix, and create a hole in the middle.

Remove the plant from the container, gently tease the roots and cut away any matted or tangled roots.

Position in hole and backfill with potting mix, gently firming down. Water in well, keeping the water away from the leaves.

After the initial water, water each time after checking if the top 2-3cm of the potting mix has dried.

Feed fortnightly from spring to autumn with Yates Thrive Indoor Liquid Plant Food to promote strong root development and healthy foliage.

Growing tips

Remove dead flowers after the flowering period.

Umbrella trees are generally pest free, but mealy bugs and scale can cause some damage. To encourage bushier growth, stem tips can be pinched out.

Don’t move umbrella trees unnecessarily as they can drop their leaves.

Do not plant umbrella trees out into the garden as in some areas they’re classified as weeds. — Courtesy of Yates