Quick project: Stone circle to fig tree. Maybe.

Have you dried off now, Andy?

 

Fig tree would be happier on a wall? and with its roots constrained (encourages fruiting over excess growth I believe)

Just thinking out loud ...

 

Any evidence of whether a wall makes a significant difference, or not? I mean ... IF it will prevent you getting any fruit then not such a good idea ... I doubt that is the case, but there again I assume there is a good reason to plant them against a wall - rather than something like "You get 10% more fruit".

Modern varieties may be very happy without the extra protection / heat of a wall, and the "plant on a wall" myth would still perpetuate

 

There is a large fig growing out of a stone wall where my other half used to work, every year it was covered in fruit. It was cut back at one point with the intention of removal because of the damage to the wall and the workman soon discovered that half the wall would have to be dismantled to get it out......it's still there and growing well.

 

"Brown Turkey" dont need a wall, if you are trying something a bit different then maybe?
Mine seem happy in just ordinary clayey garden soil, but best if it dont waterlog.

I think summer sun is probably more important, they do get quite big eventually.

 

That's a variety name I recognise (as being readily available). Is it a new cultivar - in the sense that it has been found not to need a wall? or an old one - in which case did the Victorians used to grow that variety on a wall, and nowadays we've found it doesn't' need it?

I'm curious as to why it seems that they were thought to need a wall, back in "Those Days"

 

I'm not sure but I think "brown Turkey" is the good old standby usually grown in the UK, personally I think its a bit insipid, but then I'm not sure I actually like fresh figs, as these are the only ones I have tried.
I'm tending to think there might be a couple of better, newer, varieties out there now, that can be grown outside in the UK, without much in the way of protection.

The Victorians were a bit over protective of their plants, I believe they often grew Camellias under glass, believing them to be really tender, or possibly they just wanted first class blooms untouched by the weather.

 

I did a Google.

RHS says:

There are a number of selections availableá

• Ficus carica ‘Brunswick’ – very long lobed leaves
• F. carica ‘White Marseilles’ – early, pale fruit
• F. carica ‘Brown Turkey’ AGM – very reliable, mid-season fruit

http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?PID=106

AND:

‘Brown Turkey’ AGM: The classic fig for British gardens, heavy cropping, producing a mass of tasty fruit. Suitable outdoors or in containers.

‘Brunswick’: Hardy and good for growing outdoors, with large, sweet fruit.

‘White Marseilles’: Large fruit with sweet, translucent flesh. Ideal for growing in containers and outdoors, it produces two crops per year under glass.

‘Osbourne Prolific’: Delicious dark purple fruit. For greenhouse cultivation - except in warmer climates.

‘Rouge de Bordeaux’: One of the finest for flavour. Needs a warm, sheltered site or conservatory.

http://www.rhs.org.uk/Gardening/Grow-Your-Own/Fruit-A-to-Z/Figs

Telegraph:

The best variety of fig tree to go for is Ficus carica 'Brown Turkey', whose fruit ripen in late August, and have a reddish-brown skin, red flesh and a sweet flavour.

You can also try F. carica 'Brunswick', which ripens a few weeks earlier, and whose greeny-yellow skinned fruit have a sweet tasting pink flesh.

F. carica 'White Marseilles' ripens in early September with fruit that have a light-green skin and green flesh.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/3343769/How-to-grow-figs.html

Reads Nursery have 24 different varieties for sale. Wow!
http://www.readsnursery.co.uk/categories/Fig-Trees/

They have comprehensive growing instructions
http://www.readsnursery.co.uk/fig-trees-for-gardens-and-greenhouses/

 

I should just chime in and say you can grow your Fig tree in a container. I've done this with my one and so long as it's in a sunny site it will produce fruit. Mine's Brown Turkey though