Fiddle Leaf Fig

Fiddle Leaf Fig

Ficus lyrata

If you want a big leafy plant that looks great indoors and is quite low maintenance, then check out the Fiddle Leaf Fig – These are the ‘it’  plant that you see in magazines and Instagram stylist pages. And they’re happily growing away in large numbers down here in the nursery.

Origins of this plant are from West Africa – tropical, low lying areas. This means that the Fiddle leaf fig doesn’t really like the cold. In winter, here in the Southwest it is best kept indoors, or in a protected spot in your patio. Keep it in a nice warm, well lit area an it’ll happily grow. Careful not to over water it  or under water it. You’ll need to get in tune with how much water it uses. I usually let mine dry out and it will let me know if i’ve gone too far with crunchy leaves – then when i do water it, it pops up new leaves quite happily.  If i over water it, it defoliates . Use a good quality, free draining potting mix.

I have seen these grown in the ground down here in Bunbury. They do get to be quite large. And in winter time, they don’t look as good when outside in the garden. But in Summer they green up and look gorgeous again. They grow massive if planted out in the ground. So best to keep in a pot.

Use a good quality slow release fertiliser .