The indoor figs: fiddle-leaf fig, rubber plants ‘Burgundy’ and ‘Ruby’, variegated weeping figs ‘Starlight’ and ‘Lemon Lime’, and creeping fig in baskets for shaded walls. Pick the spot, put it there, and leave it.
The ficus family gives you the indoor tree: the fiddle-leaf fig with its violin-shaped leaves, the rubber plant with its polished burgundy paddles, and the weeping fig with its fine, arching branches. All of them grow into real floor specimens in a bright Queen Creek room, and all of them share one trait that frustrates new owners: they drop leaves when their conditions change. Bring one home, put it in bright light, and don’t move it again.
We commonly carry seven: Ficus lyrata (fiddle-leaf fig) and F. elastica ‘Burgundy’ and ‘Ruby’, the variegated F. benjamina ‘Starlight’ and ‘Lemon Lime’, and creeping fig F. pumila in green and variegated forms — a different plant entirely, a small-leaved clinging vine for a shaded north wall. The rest of the bench is on our Houseplants page.
These are the ficus varieties we commonly carry. Availability changes week to week and season to season, so call (480) 987-3308 or stop in to see what’s on the bench today.
floor plants for a bright room
Huge, violin-shaped, leathery leaves on an upright trunk. Sold at three to four feet; reaches the ceiling in a few years in good light. The most light-hungry ficus — an east window or a bright south room — and the most likely to sulk after a move.
Glossy, near-black burgundy leaves on a sturdy upright plant. Tolerates lower light and drier air than the fiddle-leaf and is the easier of the two big figs.
A variegated rubber plant with leaves marbled in pink, cream and green. Needs brighter light than ‘Burgundy’ to keep the color.
The weeping fig with leaves heavily splashed white on green, on fine arching branches. Bright light, a fixed position and steady water; sheds if any of the three change.
A weeping fig with lime-yellow and green variegation. Same habits as ‘Starlight’ — bright light and no moving.
a clinging vine for shaded walls
Ficus pumila: tiny heart-shaped leaves on a vine that clings to walls and pots with aerial roots. For a shaded north wall, a topiary form or a basket. Keep it evenly moist.
The same clinging vine with cream-edged leaves, a little slower and brighter in a shaded spot.
Looking for one that isn’t listed? Ask — we can usually suggest a close match or tell you when it tends to come around.
The care tag was written somewhere else. This is the Queen Creek version.
Fiddle-leaf figs and variegated forms want the brightest indirect light in the house — right by an east window or a few feet from a south one; rubber plants tolerate a step less. Direct afternoon sun through west glass in summer scorches all of them. Rotate the pot a quarter turn every few weeks so the tree grows straight. Creeping fig is the exception: it wants shade.
Every ficus drops leaves when its light, temperature or watering changes. Expect some shedding in the first two or three weeks after it comes home; then choose its permanent spot — bright, away from air-conditioning and heater vents and exterior doors — and leave it. A tree that keeps dropping leaves after a month is usually in a draft or too dim a spot.
Cut the top of a fiddle-leaf or rubber plant in spring to force branching — it looks bare for a month and then pushes two or three new stems below the cut. Weeping figs take regular light trimming. Wear gloves: the white sap irritates skin and stains. Creeping fig can be sheared like a hedge.
Water when the top two inches of mix are dry, then thoroughly until it runs through, and empty the saucer. Every seven to ten days in summer indoors, every two weeks or more in winter. Brown spots spreading from the leaf center are root rot from overwatering; brown, crispy edges are underwatering or dry air. Flush the pot every couple of months to clear hard-water salts.
A well-draining potting mix with added perlite or bark, in a heavy pot with drainage — a tall fig in a light pot falls over. Repot every two to three years in spring, one size up; figs like to be a little root-bound. Feed a balanced liquid fertilizer at half strength monthly from March through October. Wipe the big leaves every few weeks; dust builds fast here.
Ficus sap is toxic to cats and dogs and irritating to skin. Scale, mealybugs and spider mites turn up in dry air; check stems and leaf undersides monthly and treat with insecticidal soap or horticultural oil. Outdoors, the trees can spend March to May and October to the first 45°F night on a bright, covered patio out of direct sun. Creeping fig lives outdoors year-round on a shaded north wall and takes light frost.
Yellowing, spots, no new growth — snap a photo of the plant and its window and we’ll diagnose it at the bench. Advice is free.
We stock indoor potting mix, orchid bark and perlite for the chunky blends aroids and epiphytes want, balanced houseplant fertilizers, insecticidal soap and neem for the usual mealybug and mite visits, and moss poles, hoops and saucers. The pottery yard has terracotta, glazed and lightweight pots from 4-inch up, plus hanging baskets and cache pots.
Change. It was moved, the light changed, it is in a draft from a vent or door, or the watering swung from wet to dry. Put it in a bright, stable spot away from vents, water only when the top two inches are dry, and stop moving it. Shedding for a few weeks after coming home is normal.
Spots spreading from the center of the leaf, with damp soil, are root rot from overwatering; let the pot dry out and check the drainage. Brown crispy edges are underwatering or dry air. Small dark spots with a bright window are sunburn.
Yes. The milky sap is toxic to cats and dogs and irritates skin and eyes. Keep the plants out of reach and wear gloves when pruning.
When the top two inches of mix are dry — every seven to ten days in summer indoors, every two weeks or longer in winter. Deeply, then let it drain; never leave it standing in water.
The indoor trees can summer-camp on a bright, covered patio out of direct sun in spring and fall; summer heat and any frost damage them. Creeping fig is different — it lives outdoors year-round on a shaded north wall.
Cut the main stem in spring just above a leaf, at the height you want branches. It will push two or three new shoots below the cut within a month or two. Bright light afterward is essential.
Ficus live on the houseplant bench; any staff member can point you to them. Locally owned, and a short drive from San Tan Valley, Gilbert, Chandler and Mesa.