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Key characteristics

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

Shrubs

Schefflera delavayi

Hardy Schefflera

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.

Light

Partial shade to full sun

Water

Moderate

Bloom time

Late summer to early fall

Find this plant

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.