Buy Taiwanese schefflera Schefflera taiwaniana: Delivery by Waitrose Garden

Schefflera taiwaniana

Taiwanese schefflera

Taiwanese schefflera

Position: full sun or partial shade
Soil: moist, well-drained soil
Rate of growth: average
Flowering period: July to September
Hardiness: frost hardy (will require frost protection)

This unusual, architectural evergreen, which is related to Fatsia and Tetrapanax, can be grown as a small tree or a multi-stemmed shrub by pinching out growth to encourage branching. It will infuse your garden with a tropical flair. Its glossy, dark, evergreen leaves have up to 11 narrow, pointed leaflets arranged like spokes on a wheel, all supported by long, dark red stalks. The young foliage is coated in silvery hairs. In late summer, green-brown flowers appear in branched sprays, followed by purple-black berries in winter.
Garden care: Grow in well-drained soil in sun or semi-shade. Young plants may need to be kept frost-free and sheltered from cold, drying easterly/northern winds. While it can be cultivated in a pot and a cold greenhouse during colder months, it is capable of surviving temperatures below freezing once established and mature but will require protection during prolonged or severe periods of cold.