Penumbra's Ficus Rianne

[penumbra]

I just brought my Ficus Rianne inside for winter and started a little pruning after a season of uninterrupted growth. I thought I should track its development, hence this post.
I have had this plant for 3 years now and now cannot remember where I got it, but I believe it was eBay. I did notice that Wigert's carries this cultivar but it has not been regularly posted on their site. It is possible that it came from them when they only had one for sale.
Rianne is a benjamini cultivar that most resembles Wiandi. It is a bit brittle and somewhat difficult to wire like Wiandi, but its growth habit lends it to clip and grow. It resists leaf drop which is a common characteristic of benjamini. The main difference between Rianne and Wiandi is that Rianne has stronger lateral growth than Wiandi.
I know Wiandi has been around for over 20 years but I am not sure when it was introduced. I believe Rianne to be a more recent introduction from the Netherlands that is patented. I have several Wiandi and some of these seem to be laterally dominant, so it makes one wonder where one stops and the other begins.

 

[Colorado]

Very nice!

 

[Carol 83]

It does remind me of my Wiandi, with the curvy, twisty branches. Mine grew up into the lights last winter and I had to cut a big chunk off. It made a nice cutting. I like yours alot, and I don't love ficus.

 

[pandacular]

how is this tree looking a year later?

 

[jason biggs]

looks great . never heard of this cultivar before...

 

[penumbra]

how is this tree looking a year later?

It has changed very little but it is still actively growing. The very bottom smaller branches are a bit weak and when it is ready to go outside I will cut it back to encourage stronger lower growth. It is doing its leaf drop thing now in advent of spring. Many if not most of my ficus do this. It is an awkward time to take a photo right now. Thanks for asking about it.