Ficus carica 'Ice Crystal'

A new and rare selection of hardy fig with deeply cut leaves which look very much like ice crystals. The leaves are deeply cut and dark green, turning golden yellow in autumn before falling.

Established plants produce tasty figs. For fruit this is best grown against a a sunny wall or fence but if the ornamental leaves alone are the priority, it will also thrive in dappled or partial shade.

• Position: Hot in full sun for fruit or up to dappled or partial shade for foliage display alone. It will grow well but not fruit if planted in shade.
• Soil: Well drained soil. Ficus carica 'Ice Crystal' will tolerate dry soils and is drought resistant.
• Hardiness: Hardy. A very cold, prolonged winter may cause die back on some shoots, but it will recover well in the following year.
• Flowering Period: June - September.
• Flower Colour: Green
• Rate of Growth: Slow to moderate.
• Habit: Ficus carica 'Ice Crystal' grows to be a large shrub or small branching tree once established.
  • Height: 6 m (20 ft) if left unpruned.
  • Spread: 6 m (20 ft) if left unpruned.

• Pruning: Prune in late spring to remove any frost damaged material and thin out new shoots to ensure that plenty of light will reach the inner branches. This will help stimulate fruit production.

• Notes: If you wish to try and encourage fruiting, Ficus carica 'Ice Crystal' should be planted with a restricted root run outdoors. This can be achieved by either planting it in a large container, or digging quantities of gravel, stone, old terracotta pots, etc into the planting site. If planted into a nutrient rich soil, fig trees will usually produce huge amounts of new growth, lush leaves and very little fruit.