Ficus carica 'Merengiana' (F)

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Synonyms

Ficus carica 'Melanzana'

Shrubs Fruit Edible
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A bushy, deciduous shrub to around 3m tall with broad green leaves, usually divided into three deeply cut lobes. Large, deep purple fruits with a silvery bloom and sweet flesh appear in the autumn

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

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 Clay Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but 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)
H4

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Moraceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Bushy, Spreading branched
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 or by air layering

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

Remove a third of the oldest, weakest and poorly-placed stems in early to mid spring; plants will bleed if pruned when in growth

Pests

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

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus