The Arboricola is a landscape staple. This plant, often called Dwarf Umbrella or Dwarf Schefflera, manifests itself in several varieties. The Green Arboricola is a useful plant for creating a visual screen to hide utilities like air-conditioners or pool equipment. With tolerance for full sun, full shade, and everything between, that versatility makes this plant stand out. Added to the range of sunlight is a variety of maintenance options.
The Green Arboricola can handle shearing at 4-6’ and can tolerate shaping as a rounded or squared hedge. Some folks have even trained it as bonsai, into a small tree, or as an espalier specimen growing on a trellis. Left alone, it will grow 10-15’ high and 6-15’ wide. Further diversity can be found in the varieties bred into the Arboricola family.
The Trinette is a “go-to” Arboricola when you need a little color to lighten up the green. Its leaves are variegated with intermittent splashes of creamy yellow and of green. The Gold Capella is another variety that is mostly green with streaks of gold in the leaf. And the Dazzle is mostly yellow with flecks of green throughout. The Arboricola Luseane is a low-growing variety that can be kept very small and makes a wonderful foundation tier or backdrop to annuals.
One of the important factors when considering the Arboricola is that it responds better than most to the production pruning that HOA communities utilize. In addition to its stamina, the Arboricola’s umbrella-shaped leaves help hide the scars caused by the trimmers. Those same leaves give a softer appearance to the plant even after it has been recently trimmed. For this reason, and many more, the Arboricola and its variants will continue to be popular plants in Florida for years to come.