I have seen them doing well in all sorts of locations. We have one planted with an easterly exposure, it's huge- as tall as the house. We just planted one 2 feet from a north facing block wall. Because of the arc of the sun in summer, it's actually in full sun right now and doing great at about 6 ft. It's a very sturdy plant and handles transplants to the ground very well.

Mine did too. I took it out of a pot on a shaded porch and put it in ground on the south side of the house under a balcony. It is in shade most of the time and has taken off nicely, putting on lots of new big leaves.

There's a big one on ASU's campus - about 20' tall. Some of the leaves on it are pretty crispy, but that could have been either frost or watering practices, who knows.

Just don't plant them too close to the house, the roots can be very invasive!

Has anyone tried the variegated variety outside?

Kevin

I have the variegated variety outside (in a pot), but it is under an overhang and never gets direct sunlight that I can tell. It's doing REALLY well. I don't dare put it out much futher for fear of burning... though, I may have to eventually move it away from the house if it gets any bigger.

Yes, I have both outside. I'm to chicken to try the south side of the house. I planted both of mine on the north side. They've only been there a year, so not very big yet. My neighbor 2 door down, front of the house facing south, just like mine, has one planted right by the front door. It gets lots of bright full sun early morning, then shaded by the eves during the 11 AM to 2PM time frame, then back into the sun in the afternoon till the sun moves farther north west, and it's shaded again. They are pretty tough, but I think if I were to plant one in full sun, I'd wait till the fall to move it, and give it time to slowly aclimate as the sun moves higher up through spring and summer of the next year. But then, remember, I'm the chicken who planted his on the north side of the house ;)

easy

Ficus elastica is a great tree for 9b and higher in AZ. They love good soaking, rather then frequent sprinkling. The more water you give them in the summer the faster they grow.

There's a few here in there in Tucson. Most stay small thanks to our freezing temps that we experience several times a winter.

Here's the largest one in Tucson (it's got some protection from the walls of the building, however it faces north and gets no direct sun in the winter):
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It got hit hard in December of 2003 when we got hit with the coldest weather since 1987.

The canopy was large enough that only cosmetic damage occurred.

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Here's a large F. elastica in the P.V. area.

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If you're in the PHX area inside of the 101 loop most winter will be a breeze.

Good luck I'm sure you'll enjoy it for a long time to come,

Lee

Thanks for the info and the pics. Wow, I wonder if mine will get that big. If so, I better pick a different spot for it. The spot I was thinking of would not be able to handle it growing that large. I'm excited to plant it in the ground. I may wait until fall when the temps cool down a bit. Can't wait. I think it'll take off once it's out of the medium size pot that it's been living in for almost 2 years. When I first bought it, it lost all of it's leaves (it was kept indoors) - when I moved it outside is when it really started to grow.

I had to remove one from my previous residence because the owners who planted it put it in the entryway, so not only did it not have any place for the roots to go, but once it hit the ceiling, it had to bend out and up to get to the sun. Then of course when the wind blew, it rubbed off paint and ruined shingles, THEN it would drip its sticky sap all over the walkway and I'd step in it and ... etc etc. You get the point. SO, don't plant it close to the house! ;-)
Now I've got the hankering for a variegated one, where could I put it.....

Kevin

Lee in Tucson, just curious where in Tucson is that Rubber tree. The reason I ask, the building looks very familiar....I'm thinking it looks like the Arizona Inn...?

I think you can keep these plants pruned to about any size you want. So you can grow them under the eves of the house. My neighbor has had one there for years, and just cuts it back when it starts getting annoyingly big ;)

Thanks for sharing the pics though. Love the rubber plant tree's. Would have never considered planting one for a tree if I hadn't seen your pics. Of course, at this point I have no room for trees, so can't plant one anyway, but sure wish I did. Gotta love those big glossy leaves shining in the sun. Very nice!

Easy

Could you imagine what one of those variegated rubber plants would look like in a tree that size??? Absolutely stunning..gosh! Sometimes my excitement at little things scares me! ;)

Easy

One: I'm thinking I planted this thing too close to the house. Two: I'm looking for a spot for the variegated one sitting in a pot on the porch!

Lee, you have posted some phenomenol pictures. Is this a hobby or a vocation?

wow!!I have one inside as a house plant given to me as a gift three years ago. It`s going outside this fall to grow to be a big tree. exciting, thanks for the pictures and info. I never would have thought to move it. Jan

AZamigo: You're right about the colors at the AZ INN here, but that's at the Radisson on Broadway (down the street from Park Place). I would have never guessed one that large could make it in Tucson, but it has. There's a smaller one at the U of A, that was planted in a sheltered location but has grown out of that location.

tomatofreak: Thank you for the kind words. I'm a Florida native that loves AZ, I look for the plants that remind me of FL. So I've search all over Tucson, Phoenix and Yuma over the years.

I'd also recommend a Ficus benghalensis for all those elastica fans out there. They do great in zone 10 PHX.

Scottsdale
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Phoenix Zoo
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With the benghalensis you get the bonus tropical look of aerial roots, which we're not suppose to be able to do in AZ.
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I bought a one gallon benghalensis last year that was 18" tall which is not 60" tall. It's out pacing my largest elastica. I'm an apt. dweller so they're in pots.

It would make a good die back in warmest sections of Tucson and a good Ficus alternative in PHX.

Lee

Would you have to be careful watering these in the winter? I mean, I would think you might cut back on watering quite a bit to avoid root rot? I'm so tempted to remvoe a tree and put a rubber plant in it's place. =) Especially after seeing that tall one in the picture above. Either that or a Tipuana tipu. Both when older are stunning trees.

Easy

The most impressive banyan tree I've ever seen was in Fort Myers-at Thomas Eddison's home. It had those arial roots growing all over the place. In fact if you are into tropical plants it's a really neat place. I believe he is credited with introducing the royal palm to Florida-he planted hundreds along the main-drag there in Fort Myers. Most all of these trees are still alive and look gorgeous.

Easy, I'd certainly recommend cutting back on watering in winter. You're right, you want to avoid root rot. Please add another elastica to Arizona, the more the merrier in my book.

AZamigo, I've seen that large Ficus benghalensis in Ft. Myers. It certainly is an impressive sight. Don't forget, Roystoneas are native to the southern end of Florida.

Lee

One other location I have seen a very LARGE one of these is at 44th Street and Osborne at the town homes on the northwest corner there is a very mature one that must be 20-30 feet tall! As big as the largest ones shown here - but those were in Tucson?

It can grow just fine in the ground here to a full tree size - mine is in a pot on my patio (very large pot) and I don/t plan to transplant - but to protect from freeze I just cover it with sheets on the patio - if it's going to be EXTRA cold, I move the whole plant in my back garage . . .

On the mature tree-size specimens, I believe the canopy size of the tree is key to protecting it from freeze as they become too large to cover . . . the one at 44th street & Osborn was just like this - outer 1 foot of growth looked like it got zapped much like other ficus trees but it bounced right back and outgrew those dead areas in the next year