{"product_id":"heptapleurum-alpinum-mountain-gem","title":"Heptapleurum alpinum 'Mountain Gem' | Schefflera alpina","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHeptapleurum alpinum 'Mountain Gem'\u003c\/strong\u003e, still sold by most nurseries as Schefflera alpina 'Mountain Gem', is a hardy umbrella plant for the garden. It carries glossy, dark green, hand-shaped leaves of seven to nine leaflets on long red stalks, and the spring flush of new growth is a rich purple-red before it darkens. 'Mountain Gem' is a recent Dutch selection chosen for its compact, upright habit and neat foliage, so it stays bushier and more manageable than wild-collected forms of the species.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHardiness and seasons.\u003c\/strong\u003e The species is recorded surviving around -15C in cultivation and growers rate 'Mountain Gem' to roughly -10 to -12C, so we treat it as H4, with the caveat that late autumn growth can be nipped by frost. It is evergreen and gives the same bold, tropical outline all year. Older plants may carry clusters of small white flowers in late summer followed by purple berries, but the leaves are the point.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eHow and where to grow.\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/plants-for-shade\"\u003eLight shade\u003c\/a\u003e or morning sun is ideal, out of cold, drying winds and scorching midday sun. It likes a humus-rich soil that stays lightly moist but drains freely, and copes with clay, loam or sand. Expect a small shrub of 2 to 3m in height and around 1.5 to 2m across over 10 to 20 years. It grows well in a large pot of loam-based compost, which also lets you move it to \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/hardy-exotics-what-to-expect\"\u003eshelter in a hard winter\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eUsing it in the garden.\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/hardy-exotics\"\u003eFew hardy plants\u003c\/a\u003e give such a convincing jungle look. Use it as the structural centre of a \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/exotic-border-plants\"\u003eshady exotic border\u003c\/a\u003e with \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/hardy-ferns\"\u003eferns\u003c\/a\u003e, hostas and bamboos, as a specimen in a courtyard, or in a \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/plants-for-pots\"\u003elarge container\u003c\/a\u003e by a north or east facing door. The red stems and purple spring growth pay their way against plain green neighbours.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"GROW TROPICALS","offers":[{"title":"23cm \/ 5L","offer_id":58254033387903,"sku":"SCHEALPIMOUNGEM23","price":52.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0361\/9645\/0348\/files\/rn-image_picker_lib_temp_c3633749-036e-4903-8568-81e6a6be195f.jpg?v=1787934895","url":"https:\/\/growtropicals.com\/products\/heptapleurum-alpinum-mountain-gem","provider":"GrowTropicals","version":"1.0","type":"link"}