Alpine Junior Umbrella Tree

Alpine Junior Umbrella Tree (Schefflera arboricola 'Alpine Junior') is a compact form of the dwarf umbrella tree, holding at about 1.5m tall and 1m wide instead of running to head height. The leaves are the familiar glossy fingers arranged like spokes, but closer set, so the plant stays bushy rather than leggy. It is one of the few indoor plants that will take a dim corner and a missed watering in the same week.

Why you'll love it

• It stays the size you bought. Compact by breeding, so it fills a corner without the annual cut back that standard umbrella trees demand.
• Forgiving indoors. Drought tolerant once established and comfortable in part shade, which covers most of the rooms people actually put plants in.
• Dense to the base. Close leaf spacing means no bare stems showing, so it reads as a full plant from floor level up.
• Works outdoors in warm gardens. In tropical, subtropical and warm temperate climates it makes a low screen or a hedge in pots along a balcony rail.

Where it works best

Indoors. Bright indirect light near a window is ideal, and it copes with less. Inside, your climate stops mattering, which counts with a plant this frost tender.

Pots, balconies and courtyards. A 300mm to 400mm pot holds it comfortably. Grouped at about 600mm centres in a row of pots, it makes a soft green rail height screen.

Screening in warm gardens. Planted in the ground at 800mm apart it closes into a low informal screen for a side path or under a window.

Growing Alpine Junior Umbrella Tree in Australia

Position and climate. Part shade or bright indirect light indoors. Outdoors it belongs in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens only. It is frost tender, so anywhere that frosts it needs to live inside or under a covered patio.

Soil. A good quality potting mix with extra perlite or coarse bark for drainage. In the ground it wants free draining soil enriched with compost. Wet feet cause more losses than dry ones.

Water and feed. Water when the top 3cm of mix has dried, roughly weekly in summer and fortnightly in winter. Liquid feed monthly through the warmer months. Yellow leaves dropping from the base almost always mean too much water.

Pruning. Tip prune any stem that runs ahead of the rest and it will branch behind the cut. Wipe the leaves occasionally, since dust on glossy foliage cuts the light it can use.

What to expect when it arrives

It is grown in three sizes: 200mm in packs of six, 250mm in packs of three and 300mm singly. The 200mm and 250mm plants are well branched and suit a row of matching pots. The 300mm plants are established enough to go straight into a decorative pot.

Indoor plants travel in the dark, so expect a few dropped leaves and a fortnight of stillness while it adjusts to the light in your room. Delivered Australia wide, delivery from $29.95. Every plant carries our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Read how to keep your indoor plants alive for light and watering detail.
• Browse the wider indoor plants range.
• Find a container in plants for pots.
• Compare other low maintenance plants.

Common questions

Is it safe around cats and dogs?

No. The sap and leaves are toxic to cats and dogs, and chewing causes mouth irritation, drooling and vomiting. Keep it raised on a stand or in a room your pet does not use if they chew foliage.

How much light does it really need?

It grows best in bright indirect light and tolerates part shade, but a genuinely dark corner produces stretched, sparse growth. If the stems start reaching, move it closer to a window.

Why are the leaves dropping?

Sudden leaf drop after delivery or a move is normal adjustment and passes. Ongoing yellowing from the base is overwatering, so let the mix dry further between waterings.