Fig Ficus obliqua

Small-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.

Container life versus open ground

It 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.

Obliqua, rubiginosa or macrophylla

The 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. Ficus rubiginosa 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. Ficus macrophylla 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 advanced trees.

Clipping and feeding a small-leaved fig

Trim 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.

Choosing a size

This 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 fast growing screening plants.