About
This deciduous, spreading tree or large shrub with large, lbed leaves and producing good crops of edible fruits that ripen to greenish-yellow in autumn with strawberry-red flesh.
About the genus
Ficus can be evergreen or deciduous trees, shrubs or climbers, with often leathery, simple, entire or lobed leaves and tiny flowers borne within a hollow receptacle which enlarges to form the fruit
Growing conditions
SunlightFull sun
Soil typeChalk, Loam, Sand
Soil pHAlkaline, Neutral
Soil moistureMoist but well-drained, Well-drained
AspectSouth-facing, West-facing
ExposureSheltered
UK hardinessH4
Plant details
Plant typeFruit Edible, Shrubs, Trees
HabitBushy
FoliageDeciduous
Height4-8 metres
Spread2.5-4 metres
Time to full height10-20 years
Suggested usesArchitectural, City and courtyard gardens, Cottage and informal garden, Mediterranean climate plants, Patio and container plants
ToxicityHumans/Pets: Harmful to skin with sunlight. For further information and contact numbers regarding pets, see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants
Care notes
CultivationBest grown fan-trained against a warm wall or fence, using a root-restriction method such as a box of paving slabs with the bottom filled with a layer of rubble or broken crocks. Also suitable for cultivation in a container. See fig cultivation
PruningIn mid-spring remove a proportion (1/4 to 1/3) of older branches
PropagationPropagate by hardwood cuttings
Pest resistanceMay be susceptible to glasshouse red spider mite, thrips, mealybugs and scale insects under glass
Disease resistanceMay be susceptible to honey fungus