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ShrubsFruit Edible

Ficus carica 'White Marseilles' (F)

fig 'White Marseilles'

A large, deciduous shrub with bold, deeply-lobed leaves and insignificant flowers followed by pale green, edible fruit . Usually one crop of fruit per year, but sometimes two in a hot summer or under protection. Many cultivated varieties of fig have been developed from this species.

Synonyms
Ficus carica 'White Genoa'
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Size
Ultimate height
2.5–4 metres
Time to ultimate height
10–20 years
Ultimate spread
2.5–4 metres
Growing conditions
Chalk
Loam
Sand
Clay
Moisture
Moist but well–drained, Well–drained
pH
Alkaline, Neutral
Colour & scent
StemFlowerFoliageFruit
Spring Green
Summer Green
Autumn Green Green
Winter
Position
  • Full sun
Aspect

South–facing or West–facing

Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness
H4
Botanical details
Family
Moraceae
Native to the UK
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Bushy
Potentially harmful
Harmful to skin with sunlight. Wear gloves and other protective equipment when handling
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

Accepted

How to grow

Cultivation

Best 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 warm layer of rubble or broken crocks. Also suitable for cultivation in a container. See fig cultivation

Propagation

Propagate by hardwood cuttings

Suggested planting locations and garden types
  • City and courtyard gardens
  • Architectural
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Mediterranean climate plants
  • Wall side borders
Pruning

In mid-spring remove a proportion (1/4 to 1/3) of older branches

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

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