Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

ShrubsTreesFruit Edible

Ficus carica (F)

fig

A large shrub or small, spreading tree to around 3m tall and 4m wide with rounded, lobed leaves. Insignificant flowers are followed by edible fruit that ripen to shades of green and purple. Many cultivated varieties of fig have been developed from this species.

Other common names

brown Turkey fig
common fig

Save to My plants

Buy this plant

Plant nurseries
11 suppliers

Ultimate height

2.5–4 metres

Time to ultimate height

10–20 years

Ultimate spread

2.5–4 metres

Chalk

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained, Well–drained

pH

Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

West–facing or South–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Moraceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Bushy
Potentially harmful: Humans/Pets: Harmful to skin with sunlight. For further information and contact numbers regarding pets, see the HTA guide to potentially harmful plants
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
Name status: Correct
Plant range: W Asia

How to grow

Cultivation

Best grown fan-trained against a warm wall or fence. It may require winter protection. Root restriction helps to control size and improves fruiting. Suitable for container cultivation. For further details see fig cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by hardwood cuttings, by layering or from suckers

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Architectural
City and courtyard gardens
Cottage and informal garden
Patio and container plants
Mediterranean climate plants
Wall side borders
Edible fruit

Pruning

In mid-spring remove a proportion (1/4 to 1/3) of older branches. For further information see fig cultivation

Pests

May be susceptible to glasshouse red spider mite, thrips, mealybugs and scale insects under glass

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.