I have taken print outs of Schefflera actinophyllia and Ficus Benjamina with me when I scoured the different sellers at Kamptien Market a number of weeks ago, and non of the sellers had either of these two house plants. I am specifically looking for these type of plants because I need something that is tall and bushy for inside a condominium which gets low light.

I would appreciate it if anyone knows specifically a seller who has these type of plants or something similar which will grow indoors in a low light area. Thank you.

Hello,

If you are putting these plants in low light, forget them. Ficus Benjamina Exotica requires very high light (but not direct sunlight). With low light you will have a floor covered with dead leaves in no time and just sticks on your plant. Similarly with Schefflera Actonyphylla. It requires very good light. I worked in the Interior Landscape Industry in the UK and Holland for 20 years. For low light we avoided these plants.

My suggestion is Rhapis Excelsa or (if you can find it) the better form, Rhapis Humilis. These tolerate low light. they have dark green leaves and will tolerate much lower light levels. they are also very attractive and will grow to 2.5 metres or so. They do need to be regularly watered. Often they are sold with just 3 or 4 canes in a pot, so if you want a full plant, buy several pots and plant them up together. Use decent potting mix and work in some cocopeat chip for extra water retention.

These plants are very expensive in the west because they grow slowly but here they grow much faster and are often used for screening. The low light keeps the leaves rich dark green. In high light they bleach and go yellow. Not nice.

I did once see a variegated form in a plant market in Bangkok, but I have not seen one since.

Hope this helps, but definitely strik the Scheff and the Ficus off your list. If you need more help you can email me on: [email protected]

P&M Hua Hin