BY LISA S.T. DOSS*
FANTASTIC FIGS
“ When I found Israel, it was like finding grapes in the desert; when I saw your ancestors, it was like seeing the early fruit on the fig tree.” ~ Hosea 9:10
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2. CELESTE: Deemed the “sugar fig,” OT T Lthe self- OTO G H C P U H fertilizing Celeste producesDsmall, sweet,Pbrown‣ height A L S ‣ RO purple fruit. Pruning can help tame the S P ‣ GS CI I A Lits size matches from reaching H 15Yfeet. NotingCthat N R I E D R its width,R finding A P a suitable ED M EspecimenOisMasM W G I M C ‣ important O ‣ TO as its location. ‣L S
What do dinosaurs and fig trees have in common? C T Y S HO Y‣ Well, they both lived at the same time. To judge EN P P H implies, HE H V ‣ A C 3. H ARDY CHICAGO: As its name Hardy P E R N A by his documented accounts of their biological L S A E G U Chicago G R is an ideal GR AT climates, E Ooption forRcolder LA nature, figs were subjects of fascination by scientist O CIA O D T I E R T in zone six and seven. C can P O The cultivar Charles Darwin. Termed a “keystone species,” ‣ V nearing HO M E figs ‣ V I D thriving Ofeet DU P C S reach heights 15 while spreading to M O L E ‣ ‣ are a resource of an ancient life cycle. S C O RemoveCthe P R taste of the ES G enjoy the‣sweet CT N Cfeet. Fig lovers L nine ‣ N E U I A N I fig, and the ecosystem falls.HMost Y peopleRdo R Y D E not M that ripens RC P H in late summer. RO E varieties, O N F E purpleRcovering EA E know that fig trees, comprising over 800 AP A P F M R C WE G GR M O Nnourishment, ST Y‣ are an ecological providing ‣ ‣ Owonder, O E C O H 4. M AGNOLIA: Whether the label uses the E T S V C P I O I D connecting‣plants and fungi, shade, andVwater, Hor R A reachesV E N T ‣ L “Magnolia” “The Brunswick,” the variety Y‣ P ‣ G H S L ‣ O insects, birds, legged creatures, and humans. In E S E S tall by 12Rfeet 10Lfeet A P wide. The S‣ OTpopularityAofT Ethis C E the fig tree can stabilize the balance CofHsoil, E A addition, H N G I N H P to the fruit. O fruit tree is‣ due C medium-sized U R Ideal for RE wild species.E R preserving, LA P Oand eye-AU N C I D E the shell’sL Scovering F E prevent landslides, and the loss of rare, N is large M T O V N C C L ‣ M O IA Ecologist Mike Shanahan writes,U “Wherever figOtrees AU ‣hue. C L T catching in a burgundy-purple S D R C E ‣C C G T O C are found, so is life.” N DU ME UC Y‣ PR E N 5. PETITE M I choice O D M H ‣ R A R O P ‣C O NEGRA: An excellent for smaller E E Y P R A C F Y R H ‣ P R ‣ N H P Zone SevenAVarieties G or containers, a whiskey barrel S T such asHY Y ‣ with R A P CO HYyards R EO P Petite Negra V Eself-pollinating H ‣ P G I D casters, the reaches G A P I L A O North Carolina harbors many tropical and cold- R N ‣ at threeOfeet G Rtall and produces R A a rich,I D E O ‣ Vtemperate G for OT plants inSour S maturity VE G O H E weather climate, allowing E T O E P E V H E O T C C deep-purple ‣ ID AT S ‣unique foliage S helps P H fruit twice Ha Oyear. Pruning E N like the fig. The cold-hardy E R ‣ V varietiesAU N maintain ‣ P its small stature. C O S ER NC I A L can withstand ‣ S L our mild winters with protection, while P N
F T CE AU LS RE IAL Cfall CO Nsummer, L O N throughout the spring, A thriving and E C U E I ‣ C T F CDE BORDEAUX: This productive fig ‣ seasons. As a rule, fig trees ER O D the M E R6. VIOLETTE O N The ER Rsurvive I N G in O D U C Cfeet. IA N F can rarely CO P M reaches eight to ten fruit appears M M ‣ O ‣ ‣ O A R M transitions of mailing; it is best to acquire RC C therefore, E Y C Y P E O ‣ a deep-purple hue and tastes of molasses and R H H grower.Y ‣ C ‣ M T plants through a nursery A orPlocal AP H HifYyou are C O M Y ‣ the strawberries of June. E S Fortunately, R P P V H R GR G I O R A fig varieties: R A de Bordeaux AP anxious for fig season, OG Tincludes ‣ L the Violette Y ‣ is G The following list cold-hardy G R E O H S O O D G H I P E ready to pluck in June. O OT IDE Y RA ‣P C H fromPitsHbranches ‣V DE V I G N S S 1. BROWN TURKEY: A 20-foot tree sounds ‣ PH V O U L E ‣ Fig lovers A E ‣ S A A C I S R 7. W HITE MARSEILLES: can thank Thomas D E L S can maintain a C exceptionally L G C tall; yet, pruning EN V I French figE Rvariety, C E eight I Adiscovering CT JeffersonCfor E R manageable ‣the E N size—between TO N U and nine feet. M F R O S E R D E C N H Edevelops a greenish-yellow M CE which ER RO NF the DU C O outer shell. ‣P CO Pyet E N at harvesting M M a stableRladder ORemember, N FBrown Turkey has a shallow O ‣ ‣ S ‣ C O R Bring time in late July; O Y Y choice, C ‣ invasive‣root C system; so, while it’s a popular A L feet. F E a height and width of ‣P Nreach PH R C Iten P HchoosingHY ‣ the trees Y O be aware of its future potential before A R A H C E R OG R P P ‣ T G G M A A a site. O O O M R R PH OT Seasonal Care ‣ C O IDE OG OG H ‣ V E T P V S ‣ O ID Y A desirable home site for planting S‣ S‣ P Hrequires aClocation IAL PH ‣V L E ‣ A S A C R I R exposure,Lnext S to a south-facing E with directGsun N RC A and M Ebe surewall. O the extent of NC RE S I E E E E M Knowing width height, C D M F R HE O I R E N E C C M V F O ‣ Consider using ‣to plant far from Ma foundation. N C O an UN Y protect ‣C E S enlargedCplastic Hto CO O M container the ‣base and L A C P Y ‣ T P N A H ‣ the fig tree.RInserting roots a layer of straw, leaves, Y of UC RE G AP S‣ H E D L O R F P O E A will offer air and protection from I A and mulchI D R the OG ON V RC G R cold, ‣allowing ‣thePtree grows, buds to develop. As E IDE O ‣C Y PH V E M S H A D ‣ E M I P consider enlarging the base. Before freezing R V A NC ES C O to E O G ‣burlap G Rthe tree with S‣ R E temperatures arrive,Twrap NC O E E Y E C R VID OG O gently insulate the buds, ensuring survival through NF PH E ‣ EN H O A D I R S P R E E days of dormancy. ‣C ‣V OG S‣ NF NC E L S H E O D E A R V I nourishment C I is the primary NC ‣C NC F E that will Ehelp RWater U ‣ N E A S R fruit trees from C O producing F Eflowers CT L C E transition MM ‣ N N O A E U O growing fruit to maturity. D C Trees thatOlack GR ‣C E R to ‣ O F Y R fruit most often were deprived of water. T P O ON PH From spring through fall, mark Ythe‣ calendar‣ P H RA ‣C O H G O on days of plentiful rains and A Ptake the A L S IDE E R V D I ‣ opportunity to water when VI O G there EisRaClack. ES OT S‣ C O M H E PState Extension EN MMaster Gardener ‣C NC * Lisa is an N.C. ‣ R O E E C F L Sand a state-certified ‣ ER Volunteer beekeeper. ON NF O HY CIA C O P R ‣ E PR A R ‣ ‣C M G Y M O PH CO DE I A ‣ O V R G ‣ PH HY O S ‣ P T E S O C RA PH EN IAL OG R ‣ C E E ES R S D E MM
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