Sunday 8 June 2014

The tale of the zombie fig tree ...

I have good news, nay, excellent news to report about my fig tree this month, as part of the 'Tree Following' meme, kindly hosted by 'Loose and leafy'.


It has refused to lie down and die, and has risen, zombie-like, from near death !




A month ago it looked like this, and I was concerned that my barbaric pruning had done for it !




But now, it has more leaves than it knows what to do with, green shoots all over, and lots of fresh growth.


I may have inadvertently butchered... erm ... pruned the poor thing almost to extinction, but all the optimists out there in cyberspace were right - fig trees are as tough as old boots! It rallied after a slow start in the Spring, as is now absolutely fine. Jaunty almost ! Bursting with good health !


After my post last month I had lots of supportive comments from people and most said that waiting is the key. Apparently, May is early for a fig tree to be in full leaf! This is one reason why this meme is so good ... I had never taken enough close interest in my fig tree to notice that it is late into leaf. Monitoring it this closely means I now know far much about its habits ! The optimists also said that fig trees take whatever is handed out to them with a sneer! They are tough and they fight back, whatever the odds ! They wouldn't let a pair of loppers get the better of them...

As you can see below, there are loads of baby figs (I think I shall call them 'Figlets') all fattening nicely, due to this stunning mix of warmth and wet !



The clematis 'Polish Spirit' is also going crazy, growing in a great fizz of foliage and flowers, the lovely deep purple flowers contrasting well with the glossy green of the fig leaves.


So, all in all, a much happier tree than it was a month ago - no thanks to me !!


Do pop over to 'loose and Leafy' to follow trees all over the planet ...

35 comments:

  1. Just like my Lazarus figs. They are plants will a strong survival instinct.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh yes, Sue, they will survive whatever ... they spit on loppers and secateurs !!

      Delete
  2. Marvellous... LOADS of figs. You've got me seriously thinking about getting one. If I can find somewhere to put it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, go on, get one ! You can always find a tiny space somewhere ...

      Delete
  3. Fantastic, and look at all that fruit! Maybe your pruning was just what was needed!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Pauline. I remember hearing that the RHS did a trial with roses where one set were correctly pruned and the others were roughly 'pruned' with hedge trimmers - there was no difference apparently in growth/ flowers etc. Maybe some things respond to pruning however badly its done !

      Delete
  4. Great news Jane, well worth the wait :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Mark and Gaz - your advice was to wait and see ... how right you were !!

      Delete
  5. I've been fascinated this year with the results of the severe pruning we've all had to do because of last winter. It's almost as if nature knew that the plants need a revitalization after several years of unusual warm.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Professor, your winter was incredibly severe and solo long ! Ours was unusually mild and short, for which I give thanks to any of the Weather Gods who may be reading this !!

      Delete
  6. Gardeners are the people who appreciate that old saying, "Patience is a virtue", the most of anyone I think. We don't give up on plants easily and often Mother Nature rewards us for our fabulous ability to 'wait and see'. It's great to see your zombie Fig coming back to life.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Bernie, that is so true! My mum's advice was always to leave things in situ for a whole growing season before giving up on them, and she was right!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Your fig does indeed look as if it is bursting with health. I should let you loose on mine which sits and sulks and dies off branch by branch. I envy you all those figlets.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Chloris . Oh dear ! Why is your fig tree so sad ? Can you hep it in any way or is it past resurrection ? I can't believe mine rallied as it did !

      Delete
  9. The fig tree looks better now. The fruits are so promising. Hope someday I can grow it on my home garden.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Endah. I bet you could grow a very happy fig tree and enjoy all those ripe figs ...

      Delete
  10. So exciting! We should put out the bunting! A great symbol of resilience! Next year will be interesting too. You know what to expect - but will it live up to expectations? You'll have to make sure to eat your crop this time though. (It's something I'm not clear about - can you eat them this year or do you have to leave them over winter?)

    ReplyDelete
  11. Hi Lucy . That fig tree certainly has an iron will ! Your question is very interesting and one I have pondered about myself ! Another reason why your 'Follow a Tree' meme is so useful, as I will be monitoring the figlets to see if they mature enough to ripen in one season, or whether it takes two growing seasons for them to develop. I am realising how little I actually know !!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi Jane,
    wow figs - we are dreaming of them here!!! Congratulations! You can be proud! Thank you so much for your charming visit and your lovely comment. Yes, may the summer last forever!!! We would like that. Bretty warm in Austria at the moment. Wonderful!
    All the best to you and warm and sunny days
    Elisabeth

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is pretty warm here too Elisabeth - wet and warm, which stops us getting out in the garden unfortunately !

      Delete
  13. Happy to see your fig tree doing so well Jane! No more a zombie haha... Hope those figlets will grow much fatter soon :-D

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Steph, all this sunshine and rain will be fattening those little fillets into figs right enough !!

      Delete
  14. Hurrah for zombie figs, or any kind of figs, really. I can imagine the day that you will pick the succulent fruits. By the way, I just learned that figs are not technically fruit but an infructescence. I don't know what that means, but it sounds impressive.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Infructescence hey ! That is a big word for a little fillet ! I've never heard it before ...

      Delete
  15. maybe it is thriving thanks to you, Jane, maybe it liked being cut back hard? I've got a young fig tree, it doesn't get full sun, and it hasn't done much growing yet, but I wait and hope ...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Se, mine sulked for a long time before it decided to start growing, so don't give up on yours yet ! I think you are right, and mine secretly enjoyed being cut hard back !

      Delete
  16. This fig tree wanted to LIVE! I had no fig trees here but there are some other plants as your, that are survivable. Good for it!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Hi Nadezda, too true - this fig tree is a survivor ! Which plants survive happily for you, in your climate ?

    ReplyDelete
  18. So many plants are so resilient that way -- I'm always amazed. I'm envious of all your figs!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Hollis - don't ask me why, but we never eat the figs! We like figs, we buy figs, we eat those figs, but never ours. How weird is that !

      Delete
  19. Sometimes our plants just want to scare us. Perhaps. The zombie part is super funny.~~Dee

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hi Dee, I agree , some plants just like to see the look of panic on our faces !

    ReplyDelete
  21. Yay! I had a feeling it would rise from the ashes and be just fine. :o)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Figlet! What a great word! I love plants which fight back, so long as we want them there. A weed fighting back is quite a different matter altogether. Hurrah for your fig - long may it fruit!

    ReplyDelete
  23. In addition, since a jaw of the lopper is gripping each side of the limb, the risk of "chainsaw bounce" that you have when you use a regular chainsaw is virtually eliminated. best tree loppers

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for visiting and reading.
I really welcome comments and have learned much from them, over the years of leaning over the virtual garden gate ...