Sabre Tooth Fig Ficus longifolia

Long, narrow, pointed leaves are what you buy Sabre Tooth Fig for, a shape you would not expect from the genus. They are dark glossy green and hang slightly from the branches, so the plant has the loose, drooping texture of a willow rather than the dense mass of tiny leaves on a weeping fig. Ficus longifolia is the name it carries in the trade; the long leaved fig sold under it is usually Ficus binnendijkii, often labelled Ficus maclellandii Alii, and it is grown both as an indoor tree and outdoors in warm districts as a screen or a feature.

The appeal is texture and movement. Planted in a row it makes a soft, informal evergreen screen rather than a hard clipped wall, and in a pot it gives an airy, tropical look that sits well beside bold architectural leaves such as palms and bird of paradise.

Frost free gardens and bright interiors

Outdoors it belongs in frost free country, meaning coastal and south east Queensland, northern New South Wales and sheltered parts of Sydney, where it takes sun for most of the day and wants an even supply of water until established. Frost burns it and repeated cold sets it back badly, so in southern and inland districts grow it in a pot that can come under cover for winter. It handles heat and humidity well and copes with a range of soils as long as they drain. Indoors it wants a bright room near a large window. It is generally reckoned less temperamental than the weeping fig about being moved, but it will still drop some leaves after a change of position or a cold draught, and it needs a few weeks to settle.

The fig problem underneath

Like the other tree figs, it has a vigorous, searching root system. Plant it out only where its roots can travel without meeting a drain, the pool, the slab or a path, since they go looking for water and exploit any crack they find, and it is a poor choice for a narrow bed against the house. Over the long term it becomes a sizeable tree in a warm garden, so plan the space or plan to keep trimming. Cutting it releases a white, sticky sap that inflames skin and stings the eyes, so wear gloves, and like other figs it is toxic to cats and dogs that chew the leaves. Scale and mealybug are the usual pests, most often on plants kept indoors, and both are easier to clear while numbers are small.

Sabre Tooth Fig against the small leaved figs

Weeping Fig is the familiar indoor fig, with many small leaves on drooping branchlets; it clips into a tighter shape but sheds leaves readily when conditions shift. For a sharp formal hedge or a pleached panel, Hill's Weeping Fig holds a crisp line far better than either. Sabre Tooth Fig is looser than both, better for an informal screen or a single specimen where the leaf itself is the feature. If neither leaf suits, Figs and Ficus puts the narrow, small and broad leaved figs side by side.

Trim outdoor screens through the warm months, taking light cuts to hold the outline rather than shearing hard, which spoils the drooping habit and leaves stubby ends. Indoors, shorten long stems in spring to encourage branching from lower down. Scatter a controlled release fertiliser around it in spring, or give potted plants monthly liquid feeds through the growing season. Water deeply and let the top of the soil dry between drinks, more often for a young screen through its first summer.

Choosing a size

This plant is available in 2 sizes, from 300mm up to 400mm, priced from $119.00 to $389.00 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.