Schefflera taiwaniana | Heptapleurum taiwanianum 19cm / 3L Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
Schefflera taiwaniana | Heptapleurum taiwanianum Plants - Outdoor GROW TROPICALS
Taiwanese Umbrella Tree (Hardy Schefflera)

Schefflera taiwaniana | Heptapleurum taiwanianum

£39.99
Hardy in the UKShade-tolerantEvergreenLoved by pollinators
Pot size
19cm / 3L £39.99

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Description

Schefflera taiwaniana, now formally Heptapleurum taiwanianum, is the plant that proved scheffleras belong outdoors in Britain. Elegant umbrella-like whorls of up to eleven narrow, glossy, dark green leaflets are carried on slim stems, building into a small evergreen tree of extraordinary poise. New growth emerges flushed bronze on chocolate stems before hardening to deep green, so the canopy is never static.

Collected from coniferous forest at 2,000 to 3,000 m in the mountains of Taiwan, this is a genuinely cold-adapted plant. Rated H4, it takes around -10C once established, which puts a lush, jungle-canopy look within reach of most UK gardens. It is the definitive hardy schefflera and a cornerstone species for any collection of hardy exotics.

How and where to grow

  • Position: dappled or partial shade, sheltered from cold, drying winds.
  • Soil: fertile, moist but well-drained, enriched with organic matter.
  • Size: to around 4 m tall by 2.5 m wide over many years; pinch the tip young for a multi-stemmed shrub.
  • Hardiness: H4, to around -10C established. Fleece young plants in their first hard winters.

Grow it as the mid-storey of an exotic border, where its layered foliage bridges tree ferns below and taller canopy above, or as a refined specimen among plants for shade. It also thrives for years in a large container, making it one of the most rewarding plants for pots we offer. Pair it with the shrubbier Schefflera alpina 'Mountain Gem' for a study in contrasts.

Every plant is UK nursery-grown and selected for strong stems and clean foliage. For honest guidance on exotics through a British winter, see our seasonal expectations guide.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

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What to Expect

Seasonal by nature: what to expect

  • Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
  • It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
  • Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.

Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

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How to care for Taiwanese Umbrella Tree (Hardy Schefflera)

Give me sun with a little shade and I will stand a UK winter outdoors.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.
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About Taiwanese Umbrella Tree (Hardy Schefflera)

Schefflera taiwaniana | Heptapleurum taiwanianum needs partial shade or full sun and moist but well-drained soil. It is hardy to around −10°C, standing an average UK winter outdoors.

Good for

Architectural Exotic Borders Pots & Containers Shade

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

Hardy Exotic (H4): down to around −10°C. Hardy through an average UK winter.

Rated H4, hardy to around -10C once established. It grows outdoors year round across most of the UK given shelter from cold, drying winds; young plants deserve fleece in their first hard winters. Read moreShow less

Rated H4, hardy to around -10C once established. It grows outdoors year round across most of the UK given shelter from cold, drying winds; young plants deserve fleece in their first hard winters.

Position

Partial shadeFull sunNorth-facingEast-facingWest-facingSheltered
Dappled or partial shade is ideal, with morning sun fine. Shelter from strong winds keeps the elegant whorled leaves unmarked. Read moreShow less

Dappled or partial shade is ideal, with morning sun fine. Shelter from strong winds keeps the elegant whorled leaves unmarked.

Soil

LoamClaySandMoist but well-drainedAcid pHNeutral pH
Fertile, moist but well-drained soil rich in organic matter. It resents waterlogging and thin, parched soils equally. Read moreShow less

Fertile, moist but well-drained soil rich in organic matter. It resents waterlogging and thin, parched soils equally.

Watering

Keep well watered for the first two summers, then water only in dry spells. Mulch each spring to hold moisture and feed the roots. Read moreShow less

Keep well watered for the first two summers, then water only in dry spells. Mulch each spring to hold moisture and feed the roots.

Mature size

Height2.5-4 m
Spread1.5-2.5 m

Reaches full size in 10-20 years

Growth habit

Bushy

Flowering

Aug-Sep · Green, Cream

Seasonal colour

Foliage

Evergreen

Pruning

Minimal pruning. Pinch the leading shoot on young plants if you want a multi-stemmed shrub; otherwise just remove damaged growth in late spring.

Toxicity

No reported toxicity to people or pets.

Native range

Taiwan

Family

Araliaceae

Also known as

Schefflera taiwaniana | Heptapleurum taiwanianum

Genus

Schefflera
Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Schefflera taiwaniana hardy in the UK?

Yes, genuinely. It is rated H4, taking around -10C once established, and mature plants sail through most British winters given shelter from cold winds. It comes from mountain forests at 2,000 to 3,000 m in Taiwan, so cold is in its nature. Protect young plants with fleece for their first couple of winters. Read our seasonal expectations guide for honest hardiness advice.

How do you care for Schefflera taiwaniana?

Plant it in fertile, moist but well-drained soil in dappled shade with wind shelter, water well while it establishes, and mulch each spring. That is essentially it: this is one of the easiest hardy exotics to grow well.

Where is the best position for Schefflera taiwaniana?

A sheltered spot in dappled or partial shade, such as a woodland edge, courtyard or the lee of a wall or fence. Wind shelter matters more than sun: alongside ferns and other plants for shade it will build into a spectacular layered canopy.

Can Schefflera taiwaniana grow in a pot?

Yes, it makes a first-class container specimen for several years. Use a large pot with loam-based compost, keep it watered in summer, and site it out of wind. Browse our other plants for pots and containers for companions.

How does it compare to Schefflera alpina?

Both are hardy mountain scheffleras with umbrella-like whorls of leaflets. Schefflera taiwaniana is the taller, more tree-like of the two with narrower, more elegant leaflets, while Schefflera alpina 'Mountain Gem' stays denser and shrubbier. Collectors usually end up with both.

Does Schefflera taiwaniana flower?

Mature plants produce branched sprays of lime-green to pale brown flowers in late summer, followed by purple-black berries into early winter. The foliage is the main event, but the berries add a quiet extra season of interest.

Does my plant come with a pot?
Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.
How big will my plant be when it arrives?
Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.
What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?
There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.
What should I do when my plant arrives?
First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.
Will my plant survive being shipped?
Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 48 hours with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.
Meet the family

Everything about Schefflera

Schefflera, also known as the Umbrella Plant, asks for one thing above all: even moisture without waterlogging. This guide covers light, watering, soil, propagation and the common UK problems.

More about Schefflera care
Schefflera Care Guide
Why Grow Tropicals

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Schefflera taiwaniana | Heptapleurum taiwanianum
£39.99