Family Moraceae.
Originating from the Mediterranean and Asia.
- Large, lobed green leaves form a lush, spreading canopy.
- Dark-skinned figs ripen with rich, sweet flavour.
- Easy to grow and vigorous, it thrives in well-drained soil and full sun.
‘Napolitana’ in Your Garden
Richly flavoured and reliable, this classic dark-skinned fig variety delivers generous crops of deep purple-black fruit with exceptional sweetness. Ficus carica ‘Napolitana’ grows into a vigorous, spreading tree with large, deeply lobed green leaves that create a lush, Mediterranean feel.
This dark, sweet fig variety is hardy in all but the coldest, northern and central UK gardens. It reaches 4–6m in height and width in 10–20 years, but is easily kept smaller with pruning. It can be grown as a free-standing tree, a shrub, or a fan-trained wall shrub, and even in large pots.
It flourishes in well-drained soil and loves full sun. A south-facing wall acts like a storage heater, capturing the sun’s daytime warmth and helping ripen its delicious fruit. Norfolk’s flint-walled courtyards are ideal, and Suffolk’s black-painted barn conversions turbo-charge hot East Anglian sunshine.
Did you know – Plants in the Ficus family bear their flowers inside their fruit, making them unique in the plant kingdom.
Growing Tips for Your dark, sweet fig variety ‘Napolitana’ Tree
- Soil and sun: plant in any soil except those that are heavy and wet in winter. Full sun produces the best crop; part shade produces larger leaves. Fan training against a sunny wall or fence saves space and better exposes the ripening fruits to sunlight.
- Planting: at any time of year. Never plant a dry plant! Plunge or stand in water for 30 minutes to drench the root ball.
- Watering: Moderate; tolerates drought once established. Water regularly during its first summer while it is rooting out.
- Pruning: Prune in late winter to shape and encourage fruiting; remove dead wood.
This dark, sweet fig variety adds unmistakable Mediterranean style to UK gardens. Its fruits ripen reliably in warm summers, with that signature rich flavour that grow-your-own enthusiasts rave about. Cultivated for centuries, fig trees are adaptable to any garden style and any method of training and pruning. Its aforementioned qualities, plus its abundant, large leaves, make it a go-to plant for all gardeners.
Planting Ideas for Ficus carica ‘Napolitana’
Revel in Roman repast and evoke Persian Paradise gardens by creating a hedonistic, halcyon space surrounded by our productive plants. Arbutus unedo, the Strwaberry tree, Eriobotrya japonica, the Nipsero or Loquat fruit in the UK, grown outside. Similarly, Feijoa Sellowiana, the pineapple guava and Actinidia ‘Solo‘, the kiwi vine, are productive in our climate.
Add Lemons, oranges, and grapefruit to your smorgasbord patio areas for summer, and drape walls, trellises, and pergolas with grapes. Our Vitis Crimson, Superior, and Autumn Royal grape varieties are all reliable, seedless cropping varieties. Our Fuchsias ‘Delta’s Sara’, procumbens and ‘Riccartonii’ have edible berries, as do our Myrtles. Myrtus communis, Tarentina and Tarentina ‘Microphylla‘ berries are used in Mediterranean and Persian cooking.
