Variegated rubber plant

Variegated Rubber Plant (Ficus elastica 'Tineke') is the indoor tree to choose when a room needs height and pattern from a single pot. Broad leathery leaves are marbled in cream, grey green and deep green, and new growth unfurls pink from a red sheath. Indoors it reaches about 2m tall and 1m wide over several years, on little more than a fortnightly watering routine.

Why you'll love it

• Pattern on every leaf. The cream and green marbling carries the plant year round with no flowers involved.
• Real height from one pot. Around 2m indoors, enough to fill a corner or frame a doorway without spreading across the room.
• Forgiving. Low maintenance, untroubled by household humidity swings and happy to be left alone between waterings.
• You control the shape. Prune the leader and it branches; leave it alone and it grows as one clean upright stem.

Where it works best

Indoors. This is where nearly all of them live, in a bright room out of direct sun. Inside, your climate stops mattering, which counts with a plant this frost tender.

Pots and feature planting. Use a pot 300mm or wider with drainage. Outdoors it is only reliable in frost free tropical and subtropical gardens, where it makes a bold feature in a sheltered courtyard.

One caution: the milky sap irritates skin and eyes and is toxic to cats and dogs if chewed, so keep it away from grazing pets and wear gloves when you prune.

Growing Variegated Rubber Plant in Australia

Position and light. Bright indirect light gives the strongest variegation. In low light the cream fades toward plain green and the stem stretches for the window, while direct sun through glass scorches the leaves.

Soil. A quality indoor potting mix opened up with perlite. The pot needs a drainage hole and the saucer needs emptying, because standing water is the most common cause of failure.

Water and feed. Water when the top 3cm to 4cm of mix is dry: roughly fortnightly in summer and every three to four weeks in winter. Feed monthly with a half strength liquid fertiliser through the warm months only.

Pruning and cleaning. Cut the leader back in spring to force branching, and wipe the leaves with a damp cloth each month so dust does not block the light they need.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in three sizes: tubestock, 200mm in packs of six and 250mm in packs of three. Tubes are small rooted cuttings, an inexpensive but slow start. The 200mm and 250mm plants are the usual choice, arriving single stemmed at around knee height and ready to pot straight up.

Some lower leaf drop over the first two to three weeks is normal while the plant adjusts to a new light level. Settle it in its final position rather than moving it around, and expect new leaves within about six weeks in warm weather. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95 and a minimum order of $300 before delivery. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Read the fig and ficus care guide for watering, light and pruning detail.
• Browse the wider indoor plant range.
• Compare other variegated plants.
• See the full ficus collection.

Common questions

Is it safe around cats and dogs?

No. The sap is toxic to pets if chewed and irritates skin and eyes, so keep it off floor level in a home with animals that nibble foliage.

Why are the new leaves losing their cream?

Not enough light. Move it nearer a bright window with indirect light and the variegation returns on new growth, though existing leaves will not change back.

How do I stop it growing as one bare stem?

Cut the top out in spring, just above a leaf node. It pushes two or three side shoots below the cut, and repeating that every couple of years keeps it bushy.