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ShrubsFruit Edible

Ficus carica 'Merengiana' (F)

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

Synonyms

Ficus carica 'Melanzana'

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Ultimate height

2.5–4 metres

Time to ultimate height

10–20 years

Ultimate spread

2.5–4 metres

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

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)

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

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

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