Ficus Carica “Celeste”

    Fig “Celeste”

                                            ID#151

 
 
 

Plant obtained from: Williams Nursery in Merritt, NC  (about 3 feet tall )

Location history: Spring 2009, tree still in original location, measures about 16 ft x 16 ft.

I love fresh figs.


As a child I remember climbing a old fig tree in my parents home to gather figs for my father’s breakfast.


This is the very first plant I introduce to our garden. We have worked our plans for the yard around it and it has become over the years the focal point.

          Mooring Hitch Gardens       
 
HEIGHT X SPREAD: 20 ft x 20 ft PLANT TYPE: Deciduous GROWTH RATE: Moderate TEXTURE: coarse LIGHT: full sun WATER: low to medium SOIL: adaptable. Tolerates salt water.
As observed in Coastal NC. BLOOMS: the edible fruit is the flower. FRUIT AND SEED: Purple outside/red inside matures about 4th week in July- 1st week in august. KEY FEATURES: The flower blooms inside the fruit. Most variaties are self pollinators and require no wasp. PRUNNING: During winter, when tree is dormant cut branches to open up interior.
A year cycle in the life of ...... at Mooring Hitch The Celeste fig is small, purple in color. Tree is large, vigorous and very productive. During dormancy it stands as a impressive sculpture. Many treat this plant as a shrub, I do not. From the start I have pruned the plant to become a large tree with a umbrella like canope. Fruit grows from new shoots, do not prune mature trees heavily, this can reduce the crop. I DO NOT fertilize this tree. A large crop of figs ripens during 4th week of july - early august. On a single day I can easily collect 10 pounds of figs. The harvest lasts about 3-4 weeks. Figs get canned, made into fruit rolls, fig newtons, fig cakes or dried. Mocking birds have been nesting and training their brew around this tree for years. Sharing figs with them works for us: I leave the fruit at the top for them, they scare away the large flocks of birds that can strip a tree during one afternoon.