Northwest Blooms · Shrubs
Schefflera delavayi
Hardy Schefflera
- Family
- Araliaceae
- Height
- 10 to 15 feet
- Width
- 8 to 10 feet
- Flower color
- Yellowish-green, small, and inconspicuous
- Foliage color
- Dark green with a glossy texture
- Bloom time
- Late summer to early fall
- Light
- Partial shade to full sun
- Water
- Moderate
- Maintenance
- Low
- Growing zone
- USDA zones 7 to 10
- Wildlife
- Attracts pollinators, including bees and butterflies
About this plant
Schefflera delavayi produces long terminal sprays of tiny greenish-white flowers in autumn, followed by small rounded fruits that mature during winter. Large, glossy dark green leaves are palmately divided into several elongated leaflets, creating a lush, architectural canopy with a distinctly exotic appearance. Young foliage may be more deeply lobed, while mature leaves develop broader, leathery leaflets with softly textured, grayish undersides. The bold evergreen foliage remains the plant's primary ornamental feature throughout the year.
Native to southern China and northwestern Vietnam, this species grows naturally in subtropical evergreen forests, forest margins, valleys, and along streams. Its dramatic foliage and branching form make it especially effective in woodland gardens, sheltered courtyards, mixed shrub borders, exotic plantings, and as a specimen, where the large leaves provide bold texture and year-round structure.
Works well in
Shade Gardens · Tropical Gardens · Foundation Plantings · Woodland Gardens
Companion plants
Sweet box · Bleeding heart · Pieris · Foam flower · Lungwort · Ajuga
Design tip
Give hardy schefflera a prominent role where its oversized palmate leaves can be viewed against simpler, finer-textured foliage. The contrast exaggerates its tropical character and turns an otherwise ordinary shaded corner into a more dramatic garden moment.
Where to see it
This plant can be seen at the Bellevue Botanical Garden.
