Lakeshore Garden Centres Plant Finder

Other Names:  Marseilles Fig, White Genoa Fig

Description:

A vigorous, spreading deciduous garden shrub producing especially sweet greenish-yellow to white fruit in late summer to autumn; attracts birds; prune in late winter to maintain size and shape

Edible Qualities

White Marseilles Fig is a large shrub that is commonly grown for its edible qualities, although it does have ornamental merits as well. It produces lime green fruit (technically 'pomes') with white overtones and rose flesh which are usually ready for picking from late summer to mid fall. The fruit will often fade to gold over time. The fruits have a sweet taste and a fleshy texture.

The fruit are most often used in the following ways:

• Fresh Eating
• Cooking
• Preserves

Features & Attributes

White Marseilles Fig has attractive dark green foliage with chartreuse veins on a plant with a round habit of growth. The lobed leaves are highly ornamental but do not develop any appreciable fall colour. The fruits are showy lime green pomes with white overtones and which fade to gold over time, which are carried in abundance from mid summer to early fall. The fruit can be messy if allowed to drop on the lawn or walkways, and may require occasional clean-up.

This is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a more or less rounded form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition. This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It is a good choice for attracting birds to your yard, but is not particularly attractive to deer who tend to leave it alone in favor of tastier treats. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Aside from its primary use as an edible, White Marseilles Fig is sutiable for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

White Marseilles Fig will grow to be about 12 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 50 years or more.

This shrub is quite ornamental as well as edible, and is as much at home in a landscape or flower garden as it is in a designated edibles garden. It does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. This plant should not require much in the way of fertilizing once established, although it may appreciate a shot of general-purpose fertilizer from time to time early in the growing season. It is not particular as to soil type or pH, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.

White Marseilles Fig is a good choice for the edible garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden. Be aware that in our climate, most plants cannot be expected to survive the winter if left in containers outdoors, and this plant is no exception. Contact our experts for more information on how to protect it over the winter months.

This plant is not reliably hardy in our region, and certain restrictions may apply; contact the store for more information.