Fig - Ficus carica -  €15 per plant 
​click below for cultivars   

These are hardy figs tolerating lows of  -20C and produces copious quantities of delicious figs. If planted on an exposed site after a very harsh winter the top growth can die back but will send up new growth in the spring and will produce large quantities of delicious figs the following summer. The beautiful foliage brings a hint of the tropics to the temperate garden and the vigorous growth provides a significant quantity of biomass for mulch and compost.  To order this plant please contact us: [email protected].  
Picture

Context

  • native region: W. Asia
  • native habitat: Amongst rocks, in woods and scrub on hot dry soils.
  • family: Moraceae

Predators

  • no experience of any pests or predators 

Needs, tolerances 

  • Light: Dappled shade- Full Sun
  • soil pH:  acid-neutral -basic alkaline 
  • USDA Hardiness Zone: 
  • Prefers moist soil
  • Drought tolerant
  • Prefers a continental climate with its hotter summers.

Known hazards 

  • The sap and the half-ripe fruits are said to be poisonous.
  • The sap from the stems can be a serious eye irritant
Overview
  • 60-80 cm saplings  - bare root in autumn 
  • Deciduous Shrub growing to 6 m  by 6 m at a medium rate.
  • It is in flower from June to September, and the seeds ripen from Aug to September.
  • The flowers are monoecious (individual flowers are either male or female, but both sexes can be found on the same plant). The plant is self-fertile. 
  • Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay and nutritionally poor soils. 
  • Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. 
  • It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Characteristics

  • form:  Deciduous woody perennial  
  • layer : Lower Canopy
  • habit: Multi stemmed or standard
  • height x width (m): 6 x 6
  • years to bearing yield: 3 
  • productive life span: 40+ years

Products 

  • Fruit : Delicious fruits fresh or dried
  • The latex from the sap can be used to coagulate plant milks
  • Medicinal: The leaves cab be added to boiling water and used as a steam bath for painful or swollen piles. The latex from the stems is used to treat corns, warts and piles. It also has an analgesic effect against insect stings and bites
  • Good biomass plant

Functions, behaviours

  • Vigorous growth can spread rapidly  - planting into a large tub that is then buried into the ground is one method to restrict growth. Annual pruning of new  shoots in the spring and us for mulch is another. 
  • The fig takes to coppice very well 
If you would like this plant please send an email to [email protected] with your order. 
Balkan Ecology Project