Sweet Hardy FigFicus carica 'Celeste'Height: 20' average mature height Zones: 7-8 Find my zone Aspect: mostly sun to full sun Watering: needs occasional summer irrigation, about one deep watering cycle per month once established Maximum Water: tolerates occasional winter flooding but needs drier soil in the summer Habit: clump forming with multiple stems Foliage: deciduous Growth Rate: medium
Size Availability
Out of season.
deep plug - 12 to 16 inches tall - $8.50 each quart - $8.50 each 3 gallon - potted - $35.00 each
Our main crop of most plants is available starting in late fall.
Additional batches of plugs and quarts are added throughout the year.
Many of our plants are propagated in limited quantities and can sell out quickly when posted, get on the notification list below so you don't miss out. Add your email to be notified as soon as we have them back in stock:
This does NOT subscribe your email to any mailing lists, our system will only send an inventory notification message.
Production notes: in production most years but is unavailable in some due to limited seed/division material or finicky propagation
'Celeste' is one of the sweetest figs and is known as the "Sugar Fig" in many southern states. This makes it an excellent choice when drying the fruit or when making jam, as well as eating fresh off the tree. The fruit crop is early enough to make 'Celeste' a good option for climates with short or cool summers where other varieties would not ripen before the first frost.
Pruning and Caring for Figs
This is a medium to large fig tree so we prefer to prune the tops when young to ensure lots of branching down low to encourage fruit production where it is easily accessible. Prune in the winter down to three or four buds on last year's growth to encourage strong branching without reducing the coming summer's fruit crop. As the trees mature, switch to pruning out branches that crowd other branches but no longer cutting back the main stems. You can continually top the tree to six feet to keep the plant small so the fruit are easy to reach without getting a ladder.
Figs prefer moist soils with lots of organic matter so consider adding shredded bark or compost when planting if your soil is poor. However, we have compact clay at our nursery and we still get at least 80% of the normal fruit production on un-amended trees so if you can't improve your soil it's not the end of the world. Fertilize with a slow release pelleted fertilizer in early spring, such as Osmocote Plus.
Propagating Your Own Figs
Figs are relatively easy to propagate from cuttings, especially in winter using hardwood cuttings. Cut stems five to eight inches long with the bottom cut just below a node, dip in rooting hormone and stick an inch deep in loose potting soil in mid winter.
 Fig trees produce fruit right out of woody branches in early summer.
Image Credit: Wikipedia:Common-fig
 Sample 1 gallon fig tree shipped dormant, pruned to a single trunk 16-18 inches tall. Figs shipped during the summer are leafy and tend to have multiple stems. Packing Plants For ShippingWe pack our plants depending on the needs of each species and size, most plants ship best with the roots packed in moist sawdust or bark fines but some species don't like root disturbance and are shipped in a soil-less growing media. Excess soil is washed from the roots in preparation for shipping (18-24" White Pines)  Plants are bundled together to fit in boxes  Bundles of plants are secured in long boxes. Plant Sizes 3 gallon Dawn Redwood  Standard quart shrub  Standard 14-18" multi-stem tree size  Standard deep plug pine tree Bamboo Plants Are Shipped In Their ContainersBamboo roots are not flexible and so plants have to be shipped in their containers. These plants are heavier and are shipped separately from bare root plants. Because they are potted they can handle longer transit times so can ship via UPS Ground instead of USPS Air Mail. Potted plants can also be shipped year-round.We regularly top our 1 gallon bamboo plants at 24-30 inches tall throughout the growing season. This results in dense, bushy foliage while allowing for economical shipping. From this size most running species will grow to 5-6 feet tall in the first spring and clumping species will usually grow to 4-5 feet tall.  1 gallon bamboo plants strapped in and ready to be sealed. Unpacking Bare Root PlantsYou will be sent tracking details as soon as your plants are shipped. Unpack your plants as quickly as possible after they are delivered. We use two types of boxes, side-sealing and top-sealing. For boxes that are taped along the whole length you can cut the tape on either side and remove the plant bundles by cutting the tape holding the bundle to the bottom. For boxes that are sealed on the top and bottom, it is easiet to open the bottom of the box (the shipping label is at the top) and pull the bundle of plants out straight out. Check that the box is empty as there can be a second bundle of plants stuck towards the top. A bundle of trees. What if I am not able to plant right away?You can usually leave the plants in their shipping container unopened for 1-2 days if there were no shipping delays and you have received your plants from late November through February. Plants shipped when it is warmer can't stay in their packages for as long.For longer term storage of plants you can pot them up or plant them in rows close together temporarily and then pull them out later in the spring to be planted again. This keeps the roots moist while allowing for air flow to the tops. The roots should have good contact with the soil to ensure they have access to adequate moisture. |
Size Availability
Out of season.
deep plug - 12 to 16 inches tall - $8.50 each quart - $8.50 each 3 gallon - potted - $35.00 each
Our main crop of most plants is available starting in late fall.
Additional batches of plugs and quarts are added throughout the year.
Many of our plants are propagated in limited quantities and can sell out quickly when posted, get on the notification list below so you don't miss out. Add your email to be notified as soon as we have them back in stock:
This does NOT subscribe your email to any mailing lists, our system will only send an inventory notification message.
Production notes: in production most years but is unavailable in some due to limited seed/division material or finicky propagation
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Red Panda Nursery