Ficus carica

A sculptural deciduous tree with gnarled branching and large, deeply lobed leaves that cast generous dappled shade in summer. Its sweet late-season fruit makes it as productive as it is ornamental.

The common fig is one of the oldest cultivated plants of the Mediterranean basin, with archaeological evidence of cultivation going back 11,000 years. In the Mediterranean climate it produces two crops: 'breba' figs ripen on last year's wood in June, and the main crop ripens on current-season wood from August through October. The deeply lobed leaves are deciduous, dropping in late autumn and re-emerging in late spring; the bare winter silhouette of pale grey branches is distinctive. Hardy to -12°C, the fig tolerates poor soil, drought, alkaline conditions and heavy summer pruning. The latex sap from broken stems and leaves is irritating to skin in strong sun.

Figs reach 4–8 m tall and wide with a spreading low-branched habit, ideal for casting deep summer shade over terraces, dining areas and seating zones. Train as a single specimen with a clear trunk, or allow multi-stemmed growth as a large shrub against a south-facing wall — espalier-trained figs against warm masonry are a classic Italian and Greek garden tradition. Plant near outdoor dining where the fragrant leaves and ripening fruits can be enjoyed in late summer. Underplant with shallow-rooted, summer-dormant companions — Crocus, Iris reticulata, Erigeron karvinskianus — that won't compete with the fig's surface roots. The dark sculptural bare winter form contrasts beautifully with the evergreen verticals of Cupressus and the silver-grey of Olea europaea.