According to my H P book sudden loss of leaves in Ficus plants is caused by too low winter temperatures & cold draughts, also too little light but I don't think the lack of light is the problem with yours.It says not less than 55 F. in winter. It doesn't say anything about the oozing from the leaves which sounds serious to me,suggestive of a fungal disease of some sort.Hope you can sort it,if not it might be time to say goodbye & perhaps treat yourself to something a bit hardier! It's hard tho', when you've had something for a long time. they don't like being moved round either. I lost one that way. Best Wishes FF.

Thank you so much for your time and trouble. It certainly is draughty in our garden room and we have been turning the radiator down as the room has not been in use so it definitely has been lower than 55F. The sticky residue is all over the floor, my photo frames and the chair so the sooner I say goodbye the better!! Our yucca is doing brilliantly!!! Any suggestions for it's replacement?

is the plant infested with greenfly/mealy bug/scale insect? this sounds like honey dew. give it a really careful look and if it is pests then you can spray and keep the plant.
leaf drop is probably due to the cooler temp. it will re leaf as the room warms up in spring.

I would be interested in the cause of the Ficus losing leaves, as you do not want to invest in a new plant for any infestation to continue.

As you will have seen, when a leaf falls off Ficus it releases a white sticky goo to heal the wound and stop insects. It normally stops after a few minutes though. Could it be Honeydew or Whitefly?

I wonder if the problem is a root level, some sort of Vine Weevil grub or the like attacking the roots and making the leaves fall off. I would take the Ficus to the patio, and knock off as much soil as possible to check. It may just be shock of water-logg or lack of nutrients.

Agree totally with Seaburngirl above. Check the backs of leaves and all the stems and woody parts - you're looking for possible scale infestation or aphid. Sticky sap is not usual, even if the plant has been damaged - it produces white milky sap, so honeydew from an infestation is the more likely problem.

I would recommend a Myrtle, Myrtus communis.They only require a winter temp above freezing. You get lovely scented flowers eventually, tho'
I've found it to be a bit slow growing. Another idea is a Fatshedera, nicer shaped leaves, no flowers.

Thank you so much again. I will have a look at those 2 plants in my book.I like the sound of the scented flowers and it doesn't matter about the size as the room is quite small. My Ficus definitely has an infestation, probably honeydew. It is time to have a good tidy up and clean!!
I will keep you posted!!