Melany Rubber Plant

Melany (Ficus elastica 'Melany') is the compact rubber plant, the one to choose if the standard form has always looked too coarse for a room. Leaves are smaller, rounder and deeper burgundy green, and the plant branches naturally instead of running up as a single bare stem. In a pot it settles at around 1.8m tall and 1m wide, which fills a corner without dominating it.

Why you'll love it

• It branches on its own. Most rubber plants need cutting back to bush out. Melany produces side shoots without help, so it stays full from low down.
• Deep burgundy foliage. Thick glossy leaves in dark green with red undertones, and new growth unfurling from a bright red sheath.
• Genuinely forgiving. Thick leaves store water, so a missed watering is not a crisis and dry indoor air is no trouble.

Where it works best

Indoors. Indoors your climate stops mattering, which counts for a plant this frost tender. Give it bright indirect light, a metre or two back from a window.

Pots and containers. Use a pot with drainage, move up one size every two or three years, and it holds its shape for a decade.

Sheltered balconies and courtyards. Outdoors it suits tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens in a protected spot out of harsh afternoon sun and wind.

Growing Melany rubber plant in Australia

Position and climate. Low light is survivable but produces duller colour and long gaps between leaves. It will not take frost, so anywhere with cold winters this is an indoor plant all year.

Soil. A good quality indoor potting mix with extra perlite or bark. Ficus roots dislike sitting wet, and root rot from a full saucer is the most common way these plants are lost.

Water and feed. Water when the top 30mm to 50mm of mix is dry, then let it drain freely. That is roughly weekly in summer and every two to three weeks in winter. Feed monthly with a half strength liquid fertiliser through the warm months only.

Pruning and handling. Prune in spring to control height, cutting just above a leaf node. The milky sap irritates skin and eyes, so wear gloves, and it is toxic to cats and dogs.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in two sizes: 300mm pots as single plants, and 200mm pots sold in packs of six. The 300mm suits a floor pot in a living room, and the 200mm packs a courtyard grouping or several rooms at once.

Some leaf drop in the first fortnight is normal: rubber plants answer any change of light by shedding a leaf or two, then settling. Leave it in one place, resist the urge to water more, and expect new growth within a month in warm weather. Delivered Australia wide, delivery from $29.95, minimum order $300 before delivery, and every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Read the fig and ficus care guide.
• Browse the wider ficus range.
• Learn how to keep your indoor plants alive.
• See the full indoor plant range.

Common questions

Is it safe around cats and dogs?

No. The milky sap is toxic to cats and dogs if chewed, and it irritates human skin as well. Keep it out of reach of pets that chew foliage, and wear gloves when you prune.

Can I keep it smaller than 1.8m?

Yes. Left alone in a roomy pot it settles at about 1.8m tall and 1m wide, but a spring prune just above a leaf node holds it wherever suits the room, and side shoots break below the cut so it thickens rather than thins. Wear gloves, since cut stems bleed the same irritant sap.

Why are the lower leaves dropping?

Usually a change in light or overwatering. Move it once, then leave it alone, and check that the pot is draining rather than standing in water.