Polyscias balfouriana – Balfour Aralia
Sprouts of BristolThis gorgeous Aralia is perfect for anyone who loves the woodland aesthetic and wants to fill their home with tiny trees. Its round, bright green-and-white leaves sprout from a dense array of branches at the top of its trunks, and it adapts well to growing indoors. You may have to prune it to keep it compact for your indoor space, but it will thank you for your care by growing its leaves more densely and looking all the happier! Keep this plant in bright, indirect light and with above-average humidity and its foliage will keep you smiling all year round.
Scientific Name
Polyscias balfouriana (Many-shaded plant, Balfour's species)
Synonyms: Aralia balfouriana, Panax balfourii
Originally identified as an Aralia, this plant has had the scientific name P. balfouriana since 1916.
Common Name(s)
Balfour Aralia, Dinner Plate Aralia, Plate Aralia, Aralia Balfour
Origin
The native range of this aralia is from New Guinea to Queensland, Australia, where it grows in wet tropical areas.
Light
This plant will benefit from getting a couple of hours of weaker morning or evening sun each day, with bright but indirect light the rest of the day; an east- or west-facing window is ideal for this. Strong direct sun can scorch or bleach the leaves, so even in the UK it won't do well in full sun.
Water
Make sure the top third of the soil has started to dry before you water; consistency is key with this plant. Use lukewarm water as cold water can shock the roots. Make sure excess water drains away and no roots are sat in a puddle.
Humidity
Will tolerate average household humidity but prefers slightly higher. If you notice the leaves curling and going brown and crispy, it may need higher humidity; use a pebble tray or humidifier to increase local humidity. Avoid operating radiators and draughts.
Soil
Use a well-draining mix, with components like coir, bark and sand. One designed for ficus will work well. Repot every few years in spring as the plant grows; it is fine being pot bound for a while but once the roots start growing out of the bottom, it's time for more space.
Food
Feed every four waters in the growing season, reduce to every six in autumn and winter.
Temperature
Prefers temperatures between 18-26°C. Protect from draughts and don't let temperatures drop below 16°C for long periods or overnight.
Pet-safe
No, this plant is toxic if ingested. Keep out of reach of pets and children.
Sprouts Top Tips
It is common to lose lower leaves as the plant grows; to keep it bushy and compact, prune or pinch out leggy growth regularly and rotate the plant to keep its growth regular.
Important Information
If you have any questions, please check out the below or get in touch via our contact formWe're devoted to sending our customers quality plants with the best service around. Every plant is backed by our 7-day guarantee, so they arrive in good health.
Our team takes extra steps when prepping plants for transportation, but they're still sensitive to changes, so there may be minor cosmetic issues. We always aim to photograph and disclose any flaws before shipping, but a living creature travelling across the country in a box can take a hot minute to adjust to its new life.
If you have any issues within 7 days of receiving your order, holler at our customer support team on our contact form with your order details and some pics of the issue. After the guarantee has expired, though, we can't refund as we can't guarantee care and environmental factors. If you repot the plant during the 7 days, the guarantee is void.
We have been sending plants up and down the country for many year now and we like to think we have our way down to an art.
We protect the plant from falling out of the soil with tissue paper and tape if needed, then we wrap the plant in corrugated cardboard, and sometimes we protect the leaves with extra tissue paper if required. This is then placed into a box and if there is any empty space, we fill this with void fill to stop the plants moving around inside the box. Sometimes we will write a note on your packing slip to water the plant on arrival, so please look out for this. This is due a freshly watered plant going in a box will not only be soggy, but as the plant is in darkness this can sometimes make the plant unhappy when just freshly watered.
If your plant arrives to you unhappy, please send us a photo of the plant and packaging if relevant straight away, so we can advise you.
Online orders are packed and dispatched within a few days. Usually depending on volumes, we aim to get your order dispatched within 1 working day. We have collections from Royal Mail 6 days a week so deliveries tend to be speedy.
Our standard parcel delivery service is £4.99 for Royal Mail Tracked48, you can upgrade to Tracked24 for £2.50.
We do offer a Tracked48 Large Letter option for £2.99, and Tracked24 for £1 extra, but this only applies to products less than 2.5cm thick.
*Deliveries 7 days a week only included Tracked24 parcels.
Link to your shipping policy
We get a lot of boxes, packaging and whatnot at Sprouts from all our various supplier's deliveries. We re-use this packaging material where possible, plus we take in donations from local businesses and customers to our shop to avoid excess packaging going to landfill. Sometimes your delivery might look a little different, or come in a branded box from another company, but rest assured the items inside are carefully packed with love and attention inside. We use paper tape and all our branded materials included are fully recyclable. Sometimes we use polystyrene, bubble wrap or plastic wrap in the packaging, all these items are not new and where possible, please use them again.
We have partnered with Zedify to offer low-carbon deliveries in Central Bristol for £6.99.
Zedify collect and deliver orders from us Monday - Friday and will usually deliver your order the same day its collected. If you place your order before 11am, we will aim to get it collected the same day but this isnt always possible. When you have received your dispatch email, Zedify should be delivering your order the same day, anytime before 6pm.
We cannot give an idea of time, but if you would prefer delivery on a certain date (Monday - Friday) please get in touch or leave a note at check out with your preferred delivery date and we will do our best to accommodate your request.
Zedify deliver to the following postcodes BS1, BS2, BS3, BS4, BS5, BS6, BS7, BS8 (1, 2, 3A - 3N, 4), BS9 (1,3,4).
Select click and collect at checkout to collect your order from our Bristol shop.
You will get an email when your order is ready to collect, where possible please come and collect your order the same day as we have limited space. If you are going to collect your order at a later date, please let us know in the message box at check out so we know when to expect you. Some items such as gift sets, kits and pre-order items may not be ready to collect the same day, again please let us know what day you would like to collect and we will let you know if there's any issues.
We do not offer free returns, but if you are unhappy with your delivery, please get in touch. If your parcel or order has been damaged, please take photos and send these over to our team so we can look into this for you.
If you have ordered an item and you would like to exchange it, we should be able to do this for you. There may be an extra charge for delivery, but get in touch to discuss. For plants there is a 7 day return policy and 30 days for everything else, apart from sale items which are none returnable.
You can return or exchange in our Bristol shop for free.
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