Fabulous Ficus Family!
Its not just all about the fiddle leaf fig.
If you want to be botanically correct, Ficus is the genus and the family is actually Moraceae, which even includes mulberries. Ficus come in many shapes and forms, from fruiting trees, huge ornamentals , indoor plants and climbers. in recent time the Fiddle leaf fig has gained huge popularity in the interior design scene. However many have found them a little challenging to grow in Melbourne due to the fact they really like the temperature to be 20 degrees. If temperature drop to 15 degrees or fluctuate greatly, leaves start dropping off in a dramatic way. So if you have a fiddle leaf fig keep in warm this winter in a nice sunny room and the key with indoor plants in general is wait for them to be almost dry and then water them.
If you love the bold foliage but don't like the idea of having to heat your house to 20 degrees 24/7 over winter then go for one of the great varieties of the Rubber Plant (Ficus elatica). They can be very happy down to 5 degrees and come in a great range of colours. They are so low maintenance you could collect a whole range and create your own plant family.
Note The original green species is very important for the rubber industry as its stems are filled with white latex sap and can be grown outside in many counties because of its climatic versatility. So watch out if you have allergies.
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