Ficus carica 'Madeleine des Deux Saisons' (F) | fig 'Madeleine des Deux Saisons'

Shrubs Fruit Edible

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A vigorous, spreading large shrub or small tree, to around 4m tall with deeply lobed leaves. A very old cultivar grown at Versailles in the time of Louis IV, this can be more frost hardy than many other cultivars. Produces large, edible, exceptionally sweet fruits with a dark, reddish-bronze skin and pink to red flesh, from late summer into autumn. Can also be grown in containers, producing fruit at a young age

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand, Clay

Max Height

2.5-4 metres

Max Spread

2.5-4 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 10–20 years
Max Spread: 2.5-4 metres
Max Height: 2.5-4 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Loam Sand Clay

Moisture: Moist but well–drained or Well–drained
pH: Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun

Aspect: South–facing or West–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): H5

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

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: Accepted
Horticultural Group

Horticultural Classification Codes

Horticultural Classification Codes are often given to genera which have a large number of species or cultivars. They are used to categorise cultivated plants based on specific, shared characteristics such as shape, colour, size or flowering time, and can be displayed as letters or numbers

For example:
Dahlia ‘Sunset Kate (Sin) = Single flower
Rosa ‘Marigold’ (HT) = Hybrid Tea: This genus produces fruit, but not necessarily edible fruit

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 layer of rubble or broken crocks. Also suitable for cultivation in a container. 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
Mediterranean climate plants
Patio and container plants
Edible fruit
Wall side borders

Pruning

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

Pests

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

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus