{"title":"Figs and Ficus","description":"\u003cp\u003eTwenty-three listings, and none is an edible fig. Brown Turkey and the other Ficus carica sit in \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/fruit-trees\"\u003efruit trees\u003c\/a\u003e. The rest split four ways: nine listings of Ficus microcarpa, five native figs, eight for a room, one wall climber.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eNine listings of Hill's weeping fig\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSeedling hillii is the base plant, fast and vigorous. \u003ca href=\"\/products\/fig-ficus-microcarpa-flash\"\u003eFicus microcarpa Flash\u003c\/a\u003e is denser and glossier, pushes bronze new growth and recovers quickly after a cut, so it takes most of the formal work. Upright is the columnar one, for a narrow setback where the screen must go up not out. \u003ca href=\"\/products\/fig-ficus-microcarpa-green-island\"\u003eFicus microcarpa Green Island\u003c\/a\u003e is different: thick round leaves on a compact frame, a ball and low hedge plant despite the name.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThree arrive trained. Standards carry a clear stem under a clipped head; \u003ca href=\"\/products\/fig-ficus-microcarpa-flash-pleached\"\u003eFicus microcarpa Flash Pleached\u003c\/a\u003e is a flat panel above a trunk, screening an upper window without taking bed width. Flash appears twice: across twenty grades from 200mm to 1000L, and again as \u003ca href=\"\/products\/fig-ficus-hillii-flash\"\u003eFicus hillii Flash\u003c\/a\u003e in 30L and 90L only. They share the 90L, and that 30L is unique here.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eRoots first, screen second\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEvery fig here runs vigorous surface roots that lift paving, split kerbs, crack pool shells and find sewer joints. Clipping upstairs changes nothing below. Some councils restrict hillii. Plant in open ground well back from services, slabs and pool shells, or contain it in a planter behind a root barrier. Wear gloves; the sap irritates skin.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe native figs\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMoreton Bay fig and Port Jackson fig are parkland trees, stocked to 2000L and 1000L, for reserves and acreage where nothing gets dug or paved inside the root zone for a century. Port Jackson fig takes salt wind and thin sandstone soil, though psyllid lerps blister the leaves. Ficus obliqua runs both ways: planted out it is the same kind of tree, but a pot checks its roots indefinitely, so the 300mm grade is a terrace or indoor plant. At house scale, hedge with \u003ca href=\"\/products\/ficus-obliqua-figaro\"\u003eFicus obliqua Figaro\u003c\/a\u003e, dense without going hollow, or Ficus platypoda ST1 Kingston, the inland rock fig, which takes a tight root run. All five set figs, and ripe fruit stains paving and draws flying foxes, so keep them off paths, seating and parking, Figaro included.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThe eight grown for a room\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThree are rubber plants, Ficus elastica: Burgundy near black, Tineke cream variegated, Ruby marbled pink and cream, colour that only holds in good light. Two are fiddle leaf figs, the full \u003ca href=\"\/products\/fig-ficus-lyrata\"\u003eFiddle Leaf Fig\u003c\/a\u003e and Bambino, its dwarf form. Ficus benjamina clips into a ball or hedge and sheds in handfuls after any move. Ficus Alii Petite is narrow leaved and steadier when shifted. Midnight Beauty holds a very dark green and doubles as a garden screen.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAll want bright light short of harsh sun through glass, and water once the mix dries on top. Sudden leaf drop traces to a draught, a cold snap or a pot standing in water. Cut stems bleed a sap that irritates skin and is not for a dog, a cat or a toddler to chew, so keep pots off the floor. Figs break from bare wood, so a head that has got away takes a hard cut in late spring.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/fig-ficus-pumila\"\u003eCreeping Fig\u003c\/a\u003e is the only climber, self clinging by rootlets that bond permanently to render, paint and mortar. Raw concrete or besser block you will never resurface, yes; a painted wall or a neighbour's fence, no.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCoastal Queensland, the Northern Rivers, Sydney, Perth and mild parts of Melbourne suit them. Frost limits the trees and the room figs, so at Orange or in the Southern Highlands keep those under cover; creeping fig is the exception and holds a wall through cool temperate winters. At roughly 800mm to 1000mm hedge centres, buy the 140mm or 200mm grade; Green Island starts at 125mm. Twelve listings offer a 300mm and nine a 400mm.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"fig-ficus-alii-petite","title":"Fig - Ficus Alii Petite","description":"\u003cp\u003eInterior planting contractors have leaned on Alii ficus for years, and Petite is the compact version of it. Where a weeping fig carries small oval leaves, this one has long, narrow, almost willow-like foliage in deep green on a denser and more upright plant. The texture is finer and the overall look is less fussy and formal.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTemperament is its main advantage indoors. Alii types are noticeably less inclined to drop their whole canopy when moved or when light levels change than Ficus benjamina, though no ficus enjoys being shifted around. Give it bright light near a window without harsh midday sun, let the top of the mix dry before watering again, and keep it away from air conditioning outlets and heater vents. Sap is milky and can irritate skin, so wear gloves when pruning.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSupplied in 180mm pots, which suits a floor pot in a well-lit room or a sheltered verandah position in frost-free areas. Delivery is a flat $99 to QLD, NSW, VIC, SA, ACT and WA on orders over $399.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is supplied in one size, 180mm, at $23.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot it arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/fast-growing-privacy-screen-plants-australia\"\u003efast growing screening plants\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"180mm","offer_id":64308873363825,"sku":null,"price":23.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/10pAjt4TtDDKZMTpiHH1R_hEkQcWqI.jpg?v=1787628082"},{"product_id":"fig-ficus-hillii-flash","title":"Fig - Ficus hillii Flash","description":"\u003cp\u003eThink carefully about where this one goes before you dig the hole. Flash is a selected form of Ficus microcarpa var. hillii, the Hills Weeping Fig, chosen for dense growth and bright glossy new leaves that flush over the older dark green foliage. It clips hard and holds a crisp face, which is why it dominates the market for tall formal hedges, pleached screens and driveway avenues.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBefore planting, be clear on three things:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eThe roots are vigorous and shallow, and are well known for lifting paving, cracking pool shells and finding drainage lines.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLeft unclipped it becomes a large tree, not a shrub.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFicus leaf-curling psyllid distorts soft new growth, and scale builds up in humid, still positions.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eNone of that rules it out. It means keeping the plant well clear of pipes, boundaries and structures, or growing it in a substantial planter with root barrier. Full sun to part shade, moderate water, and a shaping cut two or three times through the warm months. Advanced 30 and 90 litre plants give screen height straight away.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 2 sizes, from 30L up to 90L, priced from $199.00 to $539.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Every size here is established stock rather than a starter plant, so this line is intended for immediate effect rather than for growing on. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/fast-growing-privacy-screen-plants-australia\"\u003efast growing screening plants\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"30L","offer_id":64308878639473,"sku":null,"price":199.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"90L","offer_id":64308878672241,"sku":null,"price":539.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/nMvhRtUjV5Jc0RP_tPZm3_wOHA7KqV.jpg?v=1787628082"},{"product_id":"fig-ficus-microcarpa-flash-pleached","title":"Hill's Weeping Fig - Ficus microcarpa Flash Pleached (Ficus hillii)","description":"\u003cp\u003ePleaching gives you a hedge on stilts: a flat, clipped panel of foliage carried above a clear trunk, so you screen a neighbour's upper windows or a blank wall without giving up the ground beneath. That is exactly what this 150L stock has already been trained into, on a frame, over several years in the field.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFlash is a selection of Ficus microcarpa hillii with tighter, glossier growth and quick recovery after clipping, which is what a pleached panel needs. Plan on two or three trims through the warmer months to hold the face, and keep the trunk clear of watershoots. Watch for thrips, which curl and pucker new leaves; the damage is cosmetic but it spoils a formal panel.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRoots are the real consideration. Hillii figs lift paving and find drains, and some councils restrict them, so keep them well clear of pipes, pools and slabs or install a proper root barrier first. Flat $99 delivery to QLD, NSW, VIC, SA, ACT and WA on orders over $399.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 4 sizes, from 300mm up to 150L, priced from $139.00 to $869.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Every size here is established stock rather than a starter plant, so this line is intended for immediate effect rather than for growing on. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/fast-growing-privacy-screen-plants-australia\"\u003efast growing screening plants\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"400mm","offer_id":64308880081265,"sku":null,"price":309.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"100L","offer_id":64308880114033,"sku":null,"price":649.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"150L","offer_id":64308880146801,"sku":null,"price":869.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"300mm","offer_id":64308880179569,"sku":null,"price":139.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/EwlQSknzAQdKRNk2lFbI1_Vzo46Ac7.jpg?v=1787628082"},{"product_id":"fig-ficus-microcarpa-flash-standards","title":"Hill's Weeping Fig - Ficus microcarpa Flash Standards (Ficus hillii)","description":"\u003cp\u003eHow much clipping does a fig standard actually need? Two or three cuts through the warm months to keep the head crisp, plus a run over the trunk to rub off watershoots before they thicken. Less than that and the ball goes shaggy and loses its outline.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese are grown as a single clear stem under a rounded, clipped head, which is why they get used in pairs at an entry, in rows down a driveway, or in large planters where the trunk line is part of the design. Flash is the denser, glossier selection of hillii, flushing bright new growth after every trim and holding leaf through the head rather than going hollow inside.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn pots they are hungry and will eventually need root pruning, because a fig fills a container and then sulks. In the ground, remember the root system is vigorous and belongs well away from pipes and paving. Sizes run from 200mm through to 100L, so you can match an existing avenue.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 10 sizes, from 200mm up to 400L, priced from $50.95 to $3249.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. The smaller pots hold younger plants that cost less each and establish quickly, which suits hedges, screens and mass planting where the plant count adds up. The larger sizes carry several more years of growth on the farm and give height and presence straight away, which is what you want for a single feature position or a screen that cannot wait. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/fast-growing-privacy-screen-plants-australia\"\u003efast growing screening plants\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"200L","offer_id":64308880277873,"sku":null,"price":1529.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"90L","offer_id":64308880310641,"sku":null,"price":509.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"400L","offer_id":64308880343409,"sku":null,"price":3249.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"500mm","offer_id":64308880376177,"sku":null,"price":399.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"400mm","offer_id":64308880408945,"sku":null,"price":319.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"100L","offer_id":64308880441713,"sku":null,"price":929.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"300mm","offer_id":64308880474481,"sku":null,"price":139.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"330mm","offer_id":64308880507249,"sku":null,"price":159.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"250mm","offer_id":64308880540017,"sku":null,"price":76.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200mm","offer_id":64308880572785,"sku":null,"price":50.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/zo9h-s0QdSqpWQtLppFFQ_SIrHYfBy.jpg?v=1787628082"},{"product_id":"fig-ficus-microcarpa-hillii-selection","title":"Hill's Weeping Fig - Ficus microcarpa hillii Selection (Ficus hillii)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThese are the paddock-grown trees, from 200L up to 1000L, for jobs where the client wants canopy at handover rather than in ten years. At the top sizes you are dealing with a crane or hiab, machine access and a properly prepared pit, so sort the logistics before you order.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHill's weeping fig makes a dense, glossy dark green head with slightly weeping outer growth, holds leaf close to the ground when grown as a screen, and takes clipping better than almost any other evergreen at this size. It reshoots readily from bare wood, which is why formal blocks and clipped hedges of it survive decades of shearing.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe catch is below ground. Hillii roots are vigorous and surface-running, they lift kerbs and paths and they find sewer joints, so this is a tree for open ground, generous setbacks and commercial sites, not a courtyard beside a pool shell. Some councils restrict its use, so check before you specify it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 5 sizes, from 200L up to 1000L, priced from $2379.00 to $12369.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Every size here is established stock rather than a starter plant, so this line is intended for immediate effect rather than for growing on. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/fast-growing-privacy-screen-plants-australia\"\u003efast growing screening plants\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"1000L","offer_id":64308881097073,"sku":null,"price":12369.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"400L","offer_id":64308881129841,"sku":null,"price":4909.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"800L","offer_id":64308881162609,"sku":null,"price":9569.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200L","offer_id":64308881195377,"sku":null,"price":2379.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"700L","offer_id":64308881228145,"sku":null,"price":8399.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/erPp4U5Z0r0J7D4_aE1wH_lx4rbWf8.jpg?v=1787628148"},{"product_id":"fig-ficus-microcarpa-hillii-standards","title":"Hill's Weeping Fig - Ficus microcarpa hillii Standards (Ficus hillii)","description":"\u003cp\u003eYou are paying for the trunk work here, not just the plant. A 300L standard has spent years in the field having its lower growth removed and its head clipped into shape, and that is time you cannot make up by buying something smaller and pruning it yourself.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe result is a straight clear stem beneath a dense, dark, glossy head that keeps its outline through winter and reshoots quickly after every cut. It suits formal avenues, courtyard corners and large planters where you want shade above head height and clear sightlines below. Two trims a year will hold it tight.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePractical notes: figs are hungry, and a tree this size needs machinery on site to place it. Thrips can curl the new leaves in warm weather. Most importantly, keep the root zone away from drains, pool shells and slabs, because hillii roots are strong enough to move them. Flat $99 delivery to QLD, NSW, VIC, SA, ACT and WA on orders over $399.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 5 sizes, from 300mm up to 300L, priced from $109.00 to $1769.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Every size here is established stock rather than a starter plant, so this line is intended for immediate effect rather than for growing on. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/fast-growing-privacy-screen-plants-australia\"\u003efast growing screening plants\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"300L","offer_id":64308881293681,"sku":null,"price":1769.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"400mm","offer_id":64308881326449,"sku":null,"price":359.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"90L","offer_id":64308881359217,"sku":null,"price":869.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"100L","offer_id":64308881391985,"sku":null,"price":649.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"300mm","offer_id":64308881424753,"sku":null,"price":109.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/Hapz6Juuyb8sA-ZXLmgsl_0drGoQzD.jpg?v=1787628148"},{"product_id":"fig-ficus-microcarpa-hillii-upright","title":"Hill's Weeping Fig - Ficus microcarpa hillii Upright (Ficus hillii)","description":"\u003cp\u003eWhere the standards and the older paddock-grown forms spread wide, this one grows narrow. The Upright selection was picked for a more columnar, ascending habit, which makes it far more useful along a fence line, in a tight side setback, or anywhere a screen has to go up rather than out.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt carries the same dense, glossy, dark green hillii foliage and the same tolerance of clipping, so it can be run as a formal green wall, trained onto a frame, or left looser to soften a boundary. Because the branching is tighter and more vertical, it takes less corrective pruning than a spreading form to hold a flat face.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSizes run from a 140mm starter through 200L, 300L and 500L, so you can plant a whole screen at whatever size the job justifies. Root behaviour is unchanged, though: vigorous, surface-running and hard on paving and pipes, so use a root barrier wherever the screen sits close to built structures.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 4 sizes, from 140mm up to 500L, priced from $16.95 to $4369.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. The smaller pots hold younger plants that cost less each and establish quickly, which suits hedges, screens and mass planting where the plant count adds up. The larger sizes carry several more years of growth on the farm and give height and presence straight away, which is what you want for a single feature position or a screen that cannot wait. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/fast-growing-privacy-screen-plants-australia\"\u003efast growing screening plants\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"140mm","offer_id":64308881490289,"sku":null,"price":16.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"500L","offer_id":64308881523057,"sku":null,"price":4369.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200L","offer_id":64308881555825,"sku":null,"price":1259.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"300L","offer_id":64308881588593,"sku":null,"price":2239.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/2Lt3tW3JE8o_5a84LwZcI_IqygahTr.jpg?v=1787628081"},{"product_id":"ficus-obliqua-figaro","title":"Small-Leaved Fig - Ficus obliqua Figaro","description":"\u003cp\u003eNot every fig turns into a monster. The wild small-leaved fig is a huge rainforest strangler with buttressed roots, but Figaro is a compact selection of it, chosen for small neat glossy leaves, fine twiggy branching and a naturally dense habit that takes clipping without going bare inside.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat makes it a hedge, a topiary, a large pot plant or an indoor specimen rather than a shade tree, and it is the fig to reach for when hillii is too coarse and too vigorous for the space. The leaves are noticeably smaller and blunter than hillii, and new growth flushes a soft bronze-green before hardening off dark.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBeing smaller does not make it rootless. Keep a sensible distance from slabs, pipes and pool shells, or contain it in a planter. In warm areas it sets small figs that drop and mark paving, so keep it off a pale entry path. Full sun to part shade, moderate water, and it fills in quickly.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 2 sizes, from 75L up to 200L, priced from $449.00 to $899.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Every size here is established stock rather than a starter plant, so this line is intended for immediate effect rather than for growing on. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/fast-growing-privacy-screen-plants-australia\"\u003efast growing screening plants\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"75L","offer_id":64308881817969,"sku":null,"price":449.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200L","offer_id":64308881850737,"sku":null,"price":899.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/fFeg0OCQBog8_CmvZvczF_JcGoMDPi.jpg?v=1787628148"},{"product_id":"fig-ficus-platypoda-st1-kingston","title":"Fig - Ficus platypoda ST1 Kingston","description":"\u003cp\u003eCan a native fig really live in a pot indoors? This one manages it better than most. Ficus platypoda is the rock fig of inland Australia, a plant that grows out of sandstone and granite outcrops with its roots jammed into cracks, so it copes with a restricted root run and forgetful watering in a way the big Moreton Bay figs never will. The leaves are small, thick and glossy, held densely on stiff branching, and the trunk flares and thickens early, which is what the Kingston selection gets bought for in feature pots and courtyards.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOutdoors in a warm, frost free spot it moves along quickly and clips happily into a screen. Give it strong light for tight growth and good leaf colour, but keep it well away from house footings, tanks and drainage lines, because a fig is still a fig and the roots go looking for water. The milky sap can irritate skin, so wear gloves when pruning, and expect small figs to drop under the canopy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 3 sizes, from 400mm up to 100L, priced from $279.00 to $909.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Every size here is established stock rather than a starter plant, so this line is intended for immediate effect rather than for growing on. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/fast-growing-privacy-screen-plants-australia\"\u003efast growing screening plants\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"50L","offer_id":64308882145649,"sku":null,"price":469.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"400mm","offer_id":64308882178417,"sku":null,"price":279.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"100L","offer_id":64308882211185,"sku":null,"price":909.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/xmMeGtBVxRxRobV6yJA0E_EQmfP2dc.jpg?v=1787628148"},{"product_id":"fig-ficus-rubiginosa","title":"Fig - Ficus rubiginosa","description":"\u003cp\u003ePort Jackson fig branches low and builds a broad, dense dome, buttressing at the base with age and dropping aerial roots from the limbs. Turn a leaf over and the rusty brown felt underneath explains the other common name, rusty fig. It is a Sydney sandstone native that takes salt wind, exposure and thin rocky soil, and on a park, a wide verge or a big lawn it is one of the more useful shade trees on the east coast. Small orange red figs follow through the warm months.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eCoastal exposure it handles, suburban blocks it does not\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eFull sun to part shade, moderate water, and a tolerance of headland wind, salt spray and shallow sandstone soil that few large trees match. It also copes with dry spells once established, which is why it holds up on exposed headlands where irrigation is never going to happen. It grows through coastal Queensland, New South Wales and mild parts of Victoria, and growth is fast in warm districts. The failure mode is siting. The roots are aggressive and opportunistic around pipes, footings and paving, and the fruit falls in quantity, staining pavers and drawing flying foxes and currawongs onto whatever sits underneath. On a residential block both problems arrive at once and neither has a cure once the tree is established. Give it a park, a reserve, a broad verge or acreage, and keep it well away from services and hard surfaces. Watch for psyllid blistering and lerps on the leaves, which is cosmetic on a large tree in parkland and disfiguring on a plant you look at closely in a pot.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eRusty fig against the other native figs\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eSet beside \u003ca href=\"\/products\/fig-ficus-macrophylla\"\u003eFicus macrophylla\u003c\/a\u003e, rubiginosa carries a smaller leaf, branches lower and holds a denser, more rounded head instead of the vast spreading crown of a Moreton Bay fig, and it is the tougher of the two in salt wind on an exposed headland. Set beside \u003ca href=\"\/products\/fig-ficus-obliqua\"\u003eFicus obliqua\u003c\/a\u003e, the rusty felt on the leaf underside is the giveaway, because obliqua is smooth and glossy underneath and makes a finer, lighter canopy. Choose rubiginosa when the site is coastal, windy and open and you want dense shade held at a lower branching height. In a container all three behave while young, but rubiginosa is the one most likely to show psyllid damage where you look at it closely. It is stocked in larger sizes alongside our other \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/advanced-trees\"\u003eadvanced trees\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003ePruning and feeding a Port Jackson fig\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003ePrune in the warm months when the tree seals wounds quickly, and do the shaping while it is young. Set your clear trunk height, remove crossing limbs and take out tight forks before they become large timber. Mature specimens are a job for a qualified arborist rather than a homeowner with a pole saw. Feed young trees in early spring with a complete slow release fertiliser and keep the water up through the first two or three summers while the root system establishes. After that, a tree in open ground is self sufficient. Rake fallen fruit off paving through the fruiting season to avoid staining.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 9 sizes, from 300mm up to 1000L, priced from $149.00 to $12369.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Every size here is established stock rather than a starter plant, so this line is intended for immediate effect rather than for growing on. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/fast-growing-privacy-screen-plants-australia\"\u003efast growing screening plants\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"750L","offer_id":64311354524017,"sku":null,"price":4759.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"300mm","offer_id":64311354556785,"sku":null,"price":149.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"500L","offer_id":64311354589553,"sku":null,"price":6169.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"350L","offer_id":64311354622321,"sku":null,"price":1909.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"600L","offer_id":64311354655089,"sku":null,"price":7219.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"45L","offer_id":64311354687857,"sku":null,"price":229.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"1000L","offer_id":64311354720625,"sku":null,"price":12369.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"800L","offer_id":64311354753393,"sku":null,"price":9569.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200L","offer_id":64311354786161,"sku":null,"price":2379.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/plantdrop-rusty-fig-tree-ficus-rubiginosa_f029bb7b-1d43-4427-8812-b381b75623b6.png?v=1785551627"},{"product_id":"fig-ficus-microcarpa-hillii","title":"Hill's Weeping Fig - Ficus microcarpa hillii (Ficus hillii)","description":"\u003cp\u003eHill's weeping fig is the fig people reach for when the shape has to stay crisp. The foliage is small and glossy, held in dense weeping layers that flush soft lime green over dark green, and it takes shearing without sulking. That combination makes it the standard choice for pleached screens along a boundary, clipped columns flanking an entry, and formal hedges that need to hold a hard edge in a warm climate. It also moves quickly, which matters when a screen has to work within a couple of seasons.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWarm climate discipline, and the root run\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eTreat it as a subtropical and warm temperate plant. It thrives through coastal Queensland, New South Wales, Perth and mild parts of Victoria and South Australia in full sun to part shade with moderate water and regular feeding, and frost is its weak point, so cold inland sites will burn the soft growth. For a hedge, plant at roughly 800mm to 1000mm apart, and for a pleached screen space the plants to match the frame you are training to. In containers it needs a genuinely large volume of mix and regular repotting, or it stalls and thins from the inside out. The failure mode is the root system, and no amount of clipping upstairs changes what happens below ground. Vigorous, opportunistic roots find drainage lines, lift paving and get into pool shells, and by the time the damage shows the repair is structural. Plant in open ground well away from services and hard surfaces, or grow it in a large pot or a built planter where the root zone is contained.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eHillii or benjamina for a clipped screen\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eBoth are clipped right through warm Australia, and the difference is discipline. Hill's weeping fig holds smaller foliage in tighter, more layered growth and keeps a sharp edge between trims, which is why it dominates pleaching and formal columns, and it is also the faster of the two to knit into a solid panel. \u003ca href=\"\/products\/fig-ficus-benjamina\"\u003eWeeping Fig\u003c\/a\u003e has longer, more pendulous branchlets and a softer outline, better where you want a rounded dome or a looser hedge, and it drops leaves more readily when conditions change. Neither is a cold climate plant, so on a frosty inland site take the loss now rather than after two burnt seasons. If the wall itself is what you want covered rather than screened, \u003ca href=\"\/products\/fig-ficus-pumila\"\u003eCreeping Fig\u003c\/a\u003e attaches directly to the masonry instead. Hillii is stocked in sizes suited to immediate \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/privacy-screening\"\u003eprivacy screening\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eTrimming a pleached screen and keeping it fed\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eClip through the warm growing season, two to four times a year for a formal face and more often for a tight pleached panel, then ease off as temperatures drop so soft regrowth is not caught by frost. Cut back to just above a node and it breaks freely, and it also tolerates hard renovation pruning into older wood in late spring if a hedge has got away from you. Feed in early spring and again in midsummer with a complete fertiliser, leaning to higher nitrogen on hedges where leaf density is the point. Keep water steady in containers, and watch for scale and thrip damage on soft new growth.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 13 sizes, from 140mm up to 2000L, priced from $16.95 to $7709.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. The smaller pots hold younger plants that cost less each and establish quickly, which suits hedges, screens and mass planting where the plant count adds up. The larger sizes carry several more years of growth on the farm and give height and presence straight away, which is what you want for a single feature position or a screen that cannot wait. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/fast-growing-privacy-screen-plants-australia\"\u003efast growing screening plants\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"300L","offer_id":64311362912625,"sku":null,"price":1949.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"400L","offer_id":64311362945393,"sku":null,"price":2749.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"400mm","offer_id":64311362978161,"sku":null,"price":269.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"100L","offer_id":64311363010929,"sku":null,"price":649.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"500L","offer_id":64311363043697,"sku":null,"price":4499.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"45L","offer_id":64311363076465,"sku":null,"price":239.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"140mm","offer_id":64311363109233,"sku":null,"price":16.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"300mm","offer_id":64311363142001,"sku":null,"price":109.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"1500L","offer_id":64311363174769,"sku":null,"price":7599.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2000L","offer_id":64311363207537,"sku":null,"price":7709.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"150L","offer_id":64311363240305,"sku":null,"price":1209.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"1000L","offer_id":64311363273073,"sku":null,"price":4949.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200L","offer_id":64311363305841,"sku":null,"price":1579.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/pd17-151-hills-weeping-fig-tree-ficus-microcarpa-hi_97af17d3-fd5c-4661-bcf3-41b2c2ba0b7e.png?v=1785551654"},{"product_id":"fig-ficus-macrophylla","title":"Fig - Ficus macrophylla","description":"\u003cp\u003eA mature Moreton Bay fig is a piece of landscape rather than a garden plant, with a buttressed trunk, a crown wider than most suburban blocks are long, and a life measured in centuries. The leaves are large, thick and dark, with a rusty felted underside that shows whenever the wind turns them over. In the wild it often germinates in the fork of another tree and sends roots down to the ground from there. Parks, school grounds, coastal reserves and acreage entries are its proper home.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eRoom, and the services you have to keep it away from\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt grows through the warm coastal east, from Queensland down through New South Wales and into frost free parts of Victoria, in full sun to part shade with moderate water once established. Frost limits it inland, and young plants need protection through their first winters in cooler districts. It handles salt wind and poor coastal sand better than most large trees, and growth is fast in warm conditions. Depth of soil and an open root run matter far more than fertility. The failure mode is scale and roots together, and it cannot be fixed after the fact. Surface and buttress roots lift paving, crack kerbs and split retaining walls, and the finer roots find sewer and stormwater lines. No pruning regime, root barrier or remedial treatment makes a Moreton Bay fig safe next to a house, a pool shell or a driveway. Plant it where nothing will need to be dug, paved or built inside the root zone for the next hundred years. Ripe purple figs feed birds and flying foxes, which also means fruit and droppings on anything parked beneath.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eChoosing between the three big native figs\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll three are east coast natives that end up enormous, and the differences show in leaf and outline. Macrophylla has the largest leaves of the group and the heaviest rusty felting underneath, and it makes the broadest crown of the three. \u003ca href=\"\/products\/fig-ficus-rubiginosa\"\u003eFicus rubiginosa\u003c\/a\u003e also carries rusty felt, but on a smaller leaf, and it branches lower into a dome that suits an exposed coastal site. \u003ca href=\"\/products\/fig-ficus-obliqua\"\u003eFicus obliqua\u003c\/a\u003e has the smallest, glossiest leaves with no rust at all, and it is the one that stays presentable clipped in a container. Pick macrophylla when you have genuine parkland and want the tree that will still be a landmark in a century. See the rest of our \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/feature-trees\"\u003efeature trees\u003c\/a\u003e if the block is smaller and the scale of this one is more than the site can carry.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eFormative pruning and feeding a young fig\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eDo the structural pruning young, in the warm months, and get it over with. Lift the crown to the clearance you need and remove crossing or badly angled limbs while the wounds are still small, because large cuts on an old fig invite decay and the work quickly gets beyond a ladder. Container grown plants take root pruning and top trimming in spring to stay in scale. Feed in early spring with a complete slow release fertiliser and water regularly through the first two or three summers, after which an established tree in reasonable soil looks after itself. Mulch the root zone widely, and avoid paving or compacting inside the drip line.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 12 sizes, from 200mm up to 2000L, priced from $30.95 to $9629.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. The smaller pots hold younger plants that cost less each and establish quickly, which suits hedges, screens and mass planting where the plant count adds up. The larger sizes carry several more years of growth on the farm and give height and presence straight away, which is what you want for a single feature position or a screen that cannot wait. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/fast-growing-privacy-screen-plants-australia\"\u003efast growing screening plants\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"300mm","offer_id":64311364616561,"sku":null,"price":88.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"45L","offer_id":64311364682097,"sku":null,"price":269.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"1000L","offer_id":64311364714865,"sku":null,"price":5729.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"150L","offer_id":64311364747633,"sku":null,"price":999.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"2000L","offer_id":64311364780401,"sku":null,"price":9629.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"1500L","offer_id":64311364813169,"sku":null,"price":8689.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"350L","offer_id":64311364845937,"sku":null,"price":1659.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200mm","offer_id":64311364878705,"sku":null,"price":30.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"500L","offer_id":64311364911473,"sku":null,"price":6169.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200L","offer_id":64311364944241,"sku":null,"price":1099.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"100L","offer_id":64311364977009,"sku":null,"price":649.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"400L","offer_id":64311365009777,"sku":null,"price":1769.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"90L","offer_id":64446158143857,"sku":null,"price":609.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/plantdrop-moreton-bay-fig-tree-ficus-macrophylla_6fd3380f-c4de-4030-bbe6-033632418145.png?v=1785551657"},{"product_id":"fig-ficus-pumila","title":"Creeping Fig - Ficus pumila (Ficus repens)","description":"\u003cp\u003eCreeping fig is the one climber in this range, a self-clinging vine that lays flat overlapping sheets of small heart-shaped leaves straight onto masonry without wires, mesh or a frame. Adhesive rootlets do the gripping, bonding to concrete, besser block, mortar and render hard enough to hold for decades. Pool builders, strata managers and courtyard designers use it because it covers a blank wall quickly and evenly, and the small pot sizes double as indoor trailers and terrarium fillers in bright indirect light.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eWhich walls it belongs on\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eFull sun to part shade suits it from the tropics down to cool temperate gardens, and it handles coastal exposure and reflected heat once it has attached. Keep moisture up steadily through the first year, because that is when the rootlets bite, and a plant that dries out repeatedly lets go of the wall and has to start over. Any reasonable garden soil does, improved with compost and mulched at the base, and plants set 600mm to 900mm apart along a wall knit together evenly. In warm humid districts it also runs along the ground and roots as it goes, so give nearby beds a defined edge. The failure mode here is not the plant, it is the surface you put it on. Those rootlets bond permanently to paint, render and mortar, and pulling the growth off later takes the coating with it and leaves a lasting shadow of root scars underneath. On raw concrete, besser block or a retaining wall you will never resurface, that is a fair trade. On a painted wall, on a neighbour's fence, or anywhere it can reach window frames, gutters and roof tiles, it is not.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eCreeping fig against the clipped figs\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEvery other fig in this range is a tree you either let run or clip into shape. This one has no trunk to speak of and needs a vertical surface to do anything at all. If the goal is screening in front of a wall rather than on it, \u003ca href=\"\/products\/fig-ficus-microcarpa-hillii\"\u003eHill's Weeping Fig\u003c\/a\u003e is the better pick, because a pleached or clipped panel stands clear of the render and can be cut back to a frame without taking the surface with it. Choose creeping fig when the wall itself is the eyesore and you want it under foliage permanently. Indoors, the small sizes trail from a shelf or soften a pot rim, while \u003ca href=\"\/products\/fig-ficus-lyrata\"\u003eFiddle Leaf Fig\u003c\/a\u003e gives you an upright leafy specimen instead. It also sits alongside the rest of our \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/climbers\"\u003eclimbers\u003c\/a\u003e for wire and trellis work.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eShearing and feeding\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eShear it two or three times a year, in early spring and again through summer, to keep the flat juvenile growth coming. Left alone it matures into coarse woody stems that stand out from the wall, carrying large leathery leaves and small inedible figs, and reversing that takes a hard cut back into old wood and a scruffy season afterwards. Trim it clear of gutters, window frames and roof edges every time you go near it. Feed in early spring and again in early summer with a complete slow release fertiliser, and water through dry spells while it is establishing. Renew mulch at the base each spring. Wear gloves, since the milky sap irritates skin.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 6 sizes, from 70mm up to 200mm, priced from $16.95 to $29.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. These are younger plants, priced for planting in quantity, and they establish quickly once in the ground. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/fast-growing-privacy-screen-plants-australia\"\u003efast growing screening plants\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"70mm","offer_id":64311375430001,"sku":null,"price":16.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"140mm","offer_id":64311375462769,"sku":null,"price":16.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"125mm","offer_id":64311375495537,"sku":null,"price":20.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"130mm","offer_id":64311375528305,"sku":null,"price":16.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"175mm","offer_id":64311375561073,"sku":null,"price":20.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200mm","offer_id":64311375593841,"sku":null,"price":29.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/plantdrop-climbing-fig-ficus-pumila_19f71058-c8d7-4b2f-ba03-852a7c3736cd.png?v=1785551682"},{"product_id":"fig-ficus-benjamina","title":"Weeping Fig - Ficus benjamina","description":"\u003cp\u003eWeeping fig makes a dense rounded dome of small glossy leaves carried on gracefully drooping branchlets, and it is a fixture in Australian living rooms. Outdoors in warm districts it becomes a large tree with a heavy, far ranging root system, which is a very different proposition from the plant most people know. It is also clipped into hedges and standards through Queensland and northern New South Wales, where it holds a dense face with regular trimming and fills a boundary quickly.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBright, steady, and nowhere near the sewer\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the ground it suits frost free coastal and subtropical gardens in full sun to part shade with moderate water, and growth is fast. That is exactly where the trouble starts. It has a long record of lifting paving, blocking sewer lines and working into footings, and councils along the east coast have spent serious money removing established specimens from residential streets. Keep it well clear of services, pools and buildings, or keep it in a pot where the root run is contained. In cooler cities it lives in a pot that comes under cover for winter, or stays in a warm bright room year round. Indoors the failure mode is different and far more common, and it is leaf drop. Move the plant, let the root ball dry out and then drown it, or sit it beside a heater or an air conditioning vent, and it answers by shedding leaves in handfuls. Choose a bright position with indirect light, water when the top of the mix dries, and then leave it where it is. Give a relocated plant a fortnight to settle before you decide anything is wrong.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eBenjamina beside the other pot figs\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eAgainst \u003ca href=\"\/products\/fig-ficus-lyrata\"\u003eFiddle Leaf Fig\u003c\/a\u003e, benjamina carries many small leaves rather than a few large ones, so it recovers from damage far more readily and reads as a soft green mass instead of a sculptural outline. It is also the easier of the two to clip into a ball, a standard or a hedge. Against \u003ca href=\"\/products\/fig-ficus-microcarpa-hillii\"\u003eHill's Weeping Fig\u003c\/a\u003e, it is the softer and more pendulous plant, less suited to a razor edged pleached panel and more suited to a rounded informal shape, and it sheds more when conditions shift. Take benjamina for a forgiving indoor green mass or a warm climate hedge, and hillii when the geometry has to stay sharp. Either way, the container is doing the containing. It sits with our other \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/indoor-plants\"\u003eindoor plants\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eTrimming and feeding a weeping fig\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003ePrune in spring and through summer while it is growing, which is when cuts close fastest and regrowth fills in. Indoor plants take a light shaping trim once or twice a year and tolerate having the leader shortened to force branching, while hedges outdoors want a trim every couple of months through the warm season. Wear gloves, as the sap is a skin irritant. Feed potted plants monthly through the growing season with a liquid fertiliser at label rate, or use a controlled release product in spring, and stop feeding over winter. Repot every second or third year, and check for scale and mealybug where light is low.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 6 sizes, from 125mm up to 45L, priced from $19.95 to $299.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. The smaller pots hold younger plants that cost less each and establish quickly, which suits hedges, screens and mass planting where the plant count adds up. The larger sizes carry several more years of growth on the farm and give height and presence straight away, which is what you want for a single feature position or a screen that cannot wait. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/fast-growing-privacy-screen-plants-australia\"\u003efast growing screening plants\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"250mm","offer_id":64311377330545,"sku":null,"price":72.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"140mm","offer_id":64311377363313,"sku":null,"price":19.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"400mm","offer_id":64311377396081,"sku":null,"price":299.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"125mm","offer_id":64311377428849,"sku":null,"price":29.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200mm","offer_id":64311377461617,"sku":null,"price":29.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"45L","offer_id":64311377494385,"sku":null,"price":229.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/pd17-397-weeping-fig-ficus-benjamina_4b8e4a63-9898-4f36-8556-28d43b598385.png?v=1785551683"},{"product_id":"fig-ficus-lyrata","title":"Fiddle Leaf Fig - Ficus lyrata","description":"\u003cp\u003eFiddle leaf fig is grown for one thing above all, and that is the leaf. Big, leathery and violin shaped, deeply veined and held stiffly out from an upright, sparsely branched stem, it reads as architecture rather than foliage. Indoors it is the standard floor specimen for a bright corner. Outdoors in Brisbane, the Northern Rivers and other frost free districts it grows fast into a genuine tree, and it is used there as a quick evergreen screen or a pleached wall panel along a boundary.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eIndoors, and outdoors north of the frost line\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eWarm, humid, frost free conditions suit it, which means coastal Queensland and northern New South Wales for planting in the ground, and a sheltered courtyard or a large pot anywhere colder. Frost is the hard limit, since even a light frost marks the leaves and repeated frosts kill young plants outright. Full sun to part shade both work outside, though foliage grown in shade comes larger and softer. Give it free draining soil with plenty of organic matter and moderate, even water, never a cycle of bone dry then flooded. Indoors it wants the brightest position in the house, away from heater outlets, air conditioning vents and draughty doorways, and it dislikes being shifted once it has settled. The failure mode is root related and it arrives in two forms. In a pot, a root ball allowed to dry right out gives you crisp brown leaf margins and sudden leaf drop that people mistake for a light problem. In the ground, a fig root system goes looking for water, so keep it well clear of pipes, pool shells, paving and footings.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eLyrata or benjamina for an indoor tree\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eBoth are sold as indoor figs and they behave very differently. \u003ca href=\"\/products\/fig-ficus-benjamina\"\u003eWeeping Fig\u003c\/a\u003e carries a huge count of small glossy leaves on drooping branchlets and sheds them in handfuls when it is moved or watered badly, so it forgives less and makes more mess, but it clips readily into a dense shape. Fiddle leaf carries a much smaller count of very large leaves, which means every one counts and a lost leaf shows for months, but it needs no shaping at all to look deliberate. Take lyrata for a sculptural single specimen in a bright room, and benjamina for a hedge or a clipped standard. For garden scale rather than pot scale, \u003ca href=\"\/products\/fig-ficus-macrophylla\"\u003eFicus macrophylla\u003c\/a\u003e is the parkland version of the same genus. Browse the rest of our \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/indoor-plants\"\u003eindoor plants\u003c\/a\u003e for other options in a bright room.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003ePruning a fiddle leaf and keeping it fed\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003ePrune in spring or early summer while the plant is actively growing. Cutting the leader back is what forces branching on a leggy indoor specimen, and cuts made in the warm months callus quickly. Wear gloves, because the milky sap irritates skin and stains carpet. Outdoors, shape a screen or a pleached panel with light trims through the warm season and avoid hard cutting in winter. Feed potted plants monthly through spring and summer with a liquid or controlled release fertiliser at label rate, and hold off over winter. Wipe dust from the leaves as well, since they are large enough that a coating of dust genuinely reduces the light reaching them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 9 sizes, from 66mm Square up to 500mm, priced from $16.95 to $489.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. The smaller pots hold younger plants that cost less each and establish quickly, which suits hedges, screens and mass planting where the plant count adds up. The larger sizes carry several more years of growth on the farm and give height and presence straight away, which is what you want for a single feature position or a screen that cannot wait. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/fast-growing-privacy-screen-plants-australia\"\u003efast growing screening plants\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"180mm","offer_id":64311379886449,"sku":null,"price":24.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"300mm","offer_id":64311379919217,"sku":null,"price":94.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"250mm","offer_id":64311379951985,"sku":null,"price":72.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"66mm Square","offer_id":64311379984753,"sku":null,"price":16.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"120mm","offer_id":64311380017521,"sku":null,"price":17.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"400mm","offer_id":64311380050289,"sku":null,"price":269.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200mm","offer_id":64311380083057,"sku":null,"price":29.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"500mm","offer_id":64311380115825,"sku":null,"price":489.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"140mm","offer_id":64311380148593,"sku":null,"price":16.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/pd17-107-fiddle-leaf-fig-ficus-lyrata_a897bfd8-de23-4975-bc73-306456f32244.png?v=1785551692"},{"product_id":"fig-ficus-microcarpa-flash","title":"Hill's Weeping Fig - Ficus microcarpa Flash (Ficus hillii)","description":"\u003cp\u003ePlan for the root system before you plan for the screen. Flash is fast and aggressive at the root, and its surface roots will find pipes, pool shells, footings and paving joints if you give them the chance.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKeep it well clear of sewer and stormwater lines, pool shells and building footings.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eDo not plant it tight against a driveway slab or a paved path.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIn small courtyards, grow it in a large pot or a lined planter instead.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\u003cp\u003eSited properly, it is a dependable evergreen screen for warm coastal gardens. Flash holds a tighter, more compact canopy than seedling Hill's weeping fig, with small glossy leaves and bronze new growth, and it takes hard clipping, so it works pleached along a boundary, hedged into a green wall, or left to weep as a shade tree. Indoors it holds well in a bright position, though it drops leaves after a move.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWatch for leaf-rolling thrips, which curl and brown new growth in warm weather. Stock runs from 200mm to 1000L bags, and we deliver to QLD, NSW, VIC, SA, ACT and WA at a flat $99 with a $399 minimum order.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 20 sizes, from 200mm up to 1000L, priced from $29.95 to $6059.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. The smaller pots hold younger plants that cost less each and establish quickly, which suits hedges, screens and mass planting where the plant count adds up. The larger sizes carry several more years of growth on the farm and give height and presence straight away, which is what you want for a single feature position or a screen that cannot wait. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/fast-growing-privacy-screen-plants-australia\"\u003efast growing screening plants\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"70L","offer_id":64311384605041,"sku":null,"price":449.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"400mm","offer_id":64311384637809,"sku":null,"price":209.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200L","offer_id":64311384670577,"sku":null,"price":1629.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"500mm","offer_id":64311384703345,"sku":null,"price":379.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"1000L","offer_id":64311384736113,"sku":null,"price":6059.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200mm","offer_id":64311384768881,"sku":null,"price":29.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"45L","offer_id":64311384801649,"sku":null,"price":289.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"75L","offer_id":64311384834417,"sku":null,"price":449.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"500L","offer_id":64311384867185,"sku":null,"price":3629.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"50L","offer_id":64311384899953,"sku":null,"price":399.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"430mm","offer_id":64311384932721,"sku":null,"price":369.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"250mm","offer_id":64311384965489,"sku":null,"price":76.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"150L","offer_id":64311384998257,"sku":null,"price":969.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"400L","offer_id":64311385031025,"sku":null,"price":1989.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"300mm","offer_id":64311385063793,"sku":null,"price":129.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"95L","offer_id":64311385096561,"sku":null,"price":879.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"90L","offer_id":64311385129329,"sku":null,"price":539.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"330mm","offer_id":64311385162097,"sku":null,"price":189.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"300L","offer_id":64311385194865,"sku":null,"price":1749.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"100L","offer_id":64311385227633,"sku":null,"price":649.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/wW1YrviA1DBQYznP1gUz-_PeJHMxP1.jpg?v=1787629278"},{"product_id":"fig-ficus-burgundy","title":"Fig - Ficus Burgundy","description":"\u003cp\u003eBuyers after edible figs should look elsewhere. This is a rubber plant, a selection of Ficus elastica grown for large, thick, oval leaves that hold deep burgundy to almost black tones in good light, with each new leaf pushing out of a bright red sheath.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIndoors it is one of the more forgiving big statement plants: bright indirect light near a window, water once the top of the mix has dried, and an occasional wipe over the leaves so they keep their gloss. Dark corners cost you the colour first and the lower leaves next.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOutdoors in frost free coastal and subtropical gardens it is a different animal. Growth is fast and a mature tree is large, with strong surface and buttress roots, so keep it well away from paving, pipes and house footings or restrict it to a big pot. The milky sap that runs from a cut stem irritates skin, and it is not something you want pets or small children chewing on.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 3 sizes, from 140mm up to 300mm, priced from $17.95 to $90.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. These are younger plants, priced for planting in quantity, and they establish quickly once in the ground. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/fast-growing-privacy-screen-plants-australia\"\u003efast growing screening plants\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"140mm","offer_id":64311402692977,"sku":null,"price":17.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"300mm","offer_id":64311402725745,"sku":null,"price":90.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"5L","offer_id":64311402758513,"sku":null,"price":29.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/Iyv_TXoz_h90HeT9r_2Ec_n0A2dQ9o.jpg?v=1787629355"},{"product_id":"fig-ficus-tineke","title":"Fig - Ficus Tineke","description":"\u003cp\u003eConfusion is worth clearing up first: this is a rubber plant, Ficus elastica, not a fruiting fig. Tineke is the cream variegated form, with broad thick leaves marbled grey-green and ivory, and new leaves that unfurl from a pink to burgundy sheath which then drops away. The 5lt plants are already at a useful size for a floor pot.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIndoors it wants the brightest position you can give it without harsh midday glare, since the pale sections of leaf scorch where solid green tissue would cope. Let the top of the mix dry before watering again, because the usual reason a rubber plant sheds leaves is a cold wet pot rather than neglect. Wipe the leaves now and then so they can do their job.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePlanted out in a frost-free subtropical garden it becomes a large, fast, buttressed tree with roots that lift paving, so keep it well clear of pipes and boundaries. The milky sap irritates skin, which is worth knowing before you prune it in shorts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is supplied in one size, 5L, at $29.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot it arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/fast-growing-privacy-screen-plants-australia\"\u003efast growing screening plants\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"5L","offer_id":64311444242801,"sku":null,"price":29.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/kthLO0UZLPqg5Ol5lWQfJ_s4I7nDib.jpg?v=1787629641"},{"product_id":"fig-ficus-microcarpa-green-island","title":"Hill's Weeping Fig - Ficus microcarpa Green Island (Ficus hillii)","description":"\u003cp\u003eThere is a naming tangle here worth clearing up. Stock gets listed under Hill's weeping fig, but Green Island is the compact round leaved form: thick, almost succulent dark leaves on a dense frame, nothing like the enormous weeping shade tree that name suggests. It clips into balls, low hedges and pot standards and holds the shape well between cuts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt responds quickly to warmth and feeding, so a hedge closes in fast, but it will not thicken in deep shade. Full sun to part shade keeps it tight.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe fig warning still applies to a small selection like this one. Roots are opportunistic and should never go near sewer lines, tank plumbing or a slab edge, and in ground plantings do far better in open soil than in a narrow verge. Watch for scale and the sooty mould that follows it, particularly on plants grown indoors or under eaves. The milky sap can irritate skin, so gloves for any hard cutting back.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 7 sizes, from 125mm up to 400mm, priced from $16.95 to $199.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. The smaller pots hold younger plants that cost less each and establish quickly, which suits hedges, screens and mass planting where the plant count adds up. The larger sizes carry several more years of growth on the farm and give height and presence straight away, which is what you want for a single feature position or a screen that cannot wait. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/fast-growing-privacy-screen-plants-australia\"\u003efast growing screening plants\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"330mm","offer_id":64311447093617,"sku":null,"price":149.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200mm","offer_id":64311447126385,"sku":null,"price":29.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"140mm","offer_id":64311447159153,"sku":null,"price":16.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"400mm","offer_id":64311447191921,"sku":null,"price":199.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"300mm","offer_id":64311447224689,"sku":null,"price":109.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"180mm","offer_id":64311447257457,"sku":null,"price":39.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"125mm","offer_id":64311447290225,"sku":null,"price":21.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/Q5oQvFgLSKX5O4jTSOj4f_TP8M2YxI.jpg?v=1787629643"},{"product_id":"fig-ficus-ruby","title":"Fig - Ficus Ruby","description":"\u003cp\u003eRuby is a variegated rubber plant, a Ficus elastica selection grown for leaves marbled in cream, green and pink rather than the plain dark burgundy of the older forms. New growth pushes out of a rosy sheath and carries the strongest colour, so a well lit plant looks quite different from one kept in a dim room.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBright, indirect light is what keeps the pink coming. Direct midday sun through glass scorches the pale sections, while low light pushes the plant back toward green. Water when the top of the mix dries and let it drain right through. Rubber plants drop leaves when they sit wet, and also when they are shifted suddenly between light levels, so give a new plant time to settle before assuming something is wrong.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOutside the tropics treat it as a container plant for a bright patio or indoors. In frost free coastal Queensland it can go in the ground, but ficus roots are aggressive and belong well away from pipes, paving and footings. The milky sap irritates skin.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 2 sizes, from 5L up to 300mm, priced from $29.95 to $90.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. These mid-range sizes balance establishment speed against immediate presence, and they are the usual choice for general garden planting. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/fast-growing-privacy-screen-plants-australia\"\u003efast growing screening plants\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"5L","offer_id":64311453548913,"sku":null,"price":29.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"300mm","offer_id":64311453581681,"sku":null,"price":90.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/Q6ay4f-zjLlHwC4PLGbav_8N75b16u.jpg?v=1787629643"},{"product_id":"fig-ficus-midnight-beauty-pbr","title":"Fig - Ficus Midnight Beauty PBR","description":"\u003cp\u003eNot every plant sold under the fig name is grown for fruit. Midnight Beauty is an ornamental ficus chosen for foliage, with glossy leaves that hold a very dark green and give a heavier, more solid look than the pale ficus screens most people know. Growth is fast in warm weather and it takes clipping well, which is why it works both as a tight garden screen and as a large indoor pot plant.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTwo cautions are worth taking seriously. Ficus roots are opportunistic, so keep the tree well away from drains, pool shells, retaining walls and paving, or restrict it to a container where the root system stays confined. And like most of the genus it sulks when moved, shedding a flush of leaves after any change in light or position before it settles again.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWater moderately, letting the top of the mix dry between drinks, and watch for scale followed by sooty mould. Full sun to part shade suits it outdoors.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is supplied in one size, 180mm, at $22.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot it arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/fast-growing-privacy-screen-plants-australia\"\u003efast growing screening plants\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"180mm","offer_id":64311458759025,"sku":null,"price":22.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/JJgut-wbwtaVyDZD39wng_TXiilN0x.jpg?v=1787629719"},{"product_id":"fig-ficus-obliqua","title":"Fig - Ficus obliqua","description":"\u003cp\u003eSmall-leaved fig lives two quite separate lives. In a pot on a terrace or in a bright indoor position it is a compact, fine textured plant with small glossy leaves and no rusty felt underneath, and it takes clipping as readily as any indoor fig. Planted out on the east coast it becomes one of the largest trees in the Australian landscape, buttressed at the base with a canopy that can shade a whole park. Small figs ripen orange to red and bring in figbirds, koels and flying foxes.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eContainer life versus open ground\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eIt is a warm climate tree, at home from the Queensland coast down through New South Wales and into frost free coastal Victoria, and frost is the limit, so cold inland gardens are not its country. Full sun to part shade, moderate water, and it copes with salt wind and shallow rocky ground. Growth is fast once it is away. In a container the confined root run holds it in check indefinitely, which is why it works indoors and on terraces. The failure mode is what those roots do when they reach open soil. They are aggressive, opportunistic and very hard to remove, and they will lift paving, get into sewer and stormwater lines, and work into retaining walls and footings. Do not plant it in a suburban backyard and do not plant it in a narrow verge, but think parkland, acreage, a wide reserve or a school ground with real depth of soil. Fruit drop is the other consideration, since ripe figs stain paving and draw fruit bats, so keep it away from paths, seating and parking.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eObliqua, rubiginosa or macrophylla\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe three native figs in this range separate on leaf. Obliqua has the smallest leaves, smooth and glossy on both sides, which gives a finer canopy texture and a tidier clipped result in a pot. \u003ca href=\"\/products\/fig-ficus-rubiginosa\"\u003eFicus rubiginosa\u003c\/a\u003e carries rusty brown felt on the leaf underside and branches lower into a broad dome, so it is the one to plant on an exposed coastal site. \u003ca href=\"\/products\/fig-ficus-macrophylla\"\u003eFicus macrophylla\u003c\/a\u003e has much larger leaves and makes the biggest tree of the three. Choose obliqua if you want a native fig that also earns its keep in a container, or where the site calls for a lighter canopy and less fruit litter than the larger leaved species drop. Larger stock sits with the rest of our \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/advanced-trees\"\u003eadvanced trees\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eClipping and feeding a small-leaved fig\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eTrim potted and hedged plants through the warm months, as often as monthly if you want a crisp edge, and stop trimming in the cold part of the year when regrowth is slow. On a landscape tree, do the formative pruning early to set clear trunk height and remove tight forks, then leave it alone. Feed containerised plants with a controlled release fertiliser in early spring and a follow up in midsummer, and repot or root prune every couple of years. In the ground, mulch widely and water through the first summers. Watch for scale on indoor plants and treat it early, before sooty mould follows.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is available in 3 sizes, from 300mm up to 300L, priced from $109.00 to $1769.00 per plant. The size shown is the pot the plant arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Every size here is established stock rather than a starter plant, so this line is intended for immediate effect rather than for growing on. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/fast-growing-privacy-screen-plants-australia\"\u003efast growing screening plants\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"300mm","offer_id":64311462134129,"sku":null,"price":109.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200L","offer_id":64311462166897,"sku":null,"price":1209.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"300L","offer_id":64311462199665,"sku":null,"price":1769.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/plantdrop-small-leaved-fig-tree-ficus-obliqua_80078fc7-1c4f-45da-b1c4-7591ff79f036.png?v=1785551909"},{"product_id":"fig-ficus-bambino","title":"Fig - Ficus Bambino","description":"\u003cp\u003eSold under the fig name, this is an ornamental fiddle leaf fig rather than a fruiting tree, so nobody should expect a crop. Bambino is the dwarf, more freely branching form of Ficus lyrata, with the same leathery, deeply veined leaves at a fraction of the size, which makes it far easier to keep in scale indoors than the standard plant.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eInside it wants the brightest position you can give it short of harsh direct sun through glass, and it dislikes being shuffled around. Sudden leaf drop nearly always traces back to a draught, a cold snap, or a pot left standing in water. Let the top of the mix dry before watering again, and wipe the leaves occasionally, since dust genuinely cuts the light they receive.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOutdoors it is only reliable in frost free coastal and subtropical gardens, and like all figs the roots are vigorous, so keep it well clear of pipes, paving and pool shells. We deliver to QLD, NSW, VIC, SA, ACT and WA.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3 class=\"pd-size-guidance\"\u003eChoosing a size\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis plant is supplied in one size, 180mm, at $24.95 per plant. The size shown is the pot it arrives in, which is the rootball, not the height of the plant. Not sure which to choose? Read our guide to \u003ca href=\"\/blogs\/news\/fast-growing-privacy-screen-plants-australia\"\u003efast growing screening plants\u003c\/a\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Plant Drop","offers":[{"title":"180mm","offer_id":64311512498545,"sku":null,"price":24.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/files\/Pn16mT7Ldiv0Pj3Bj_346_JLG2rVaW.jpg?v=1787630242"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1017\/1049\/6113\/collections\/plantdrop-small-leaved-fig-tree-ficus-obliqua_80078fc7-1c4f-45da-b1c4-7591ff79f036.png?v=1787348928","url":"https:\/\/plantdrop.com.au\/collections\/figs-and-ficus.oembed","provider":"Plant Drop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}