Ficus pumila
Creeping Fig
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Creeping Fig (Ficus pumila) - Description
Ficus pumila is definitely the odd duck in the Fig family....but in a very wonderful way. It creates amazing uses in landscaping and horticulture that few if any other plants could replicate. It has an aggressively vining nature that clings to surfaces like no other vine in the horticulture world! As it grows out on a wall, structure, or tree it has uniform pleasing finger like tendrils spreading out from a central vine. Will eventually create a fully foliated wall, that has an amazing softening and cooling affect in a given area. There are legendary ancient specimens of this vine that are famous throughout the world. The 150 year old specimen in the Orangery at Dumbarton Oaks (Washington D.C.) is one that shows the impressive architectural potential of these amazing plants.
Creeping Fig (Ficus pumila) - Growth
Most species are shrubs to large trees. F. pumila (creeping fig) is a garden plant which has a climbing habit and small evergreen leaves. Some species are stranglers or grow curtains of aerial roots.
Creeping Fig (Ficus pumila) - Planting
Sow seeds in spring and be sure to keep the temperature between 60 and 70°F (21°C). The seeds can be sown indoors in pots to be transplanted later. Make rooted cuttings in spring or summer. Provide bottom heat to promote root development.
Creeping Fig (Ficus pumila) - Interesting facts
There are a couple of members of the Ficus genus called banyan trees. These plants grow as epiphytes (a plant that grows on top of another). The seeds are usually deposited by birds and will settle in the cracks and crevices of the host tree, where they will germinate. As the banyan tree begins to grow, it sends a complex web of roots down the trunk of the host tree. These roots will eventually envelope the entire trunk and choke out the host tree, which results in the host tree's death. This is of course unless the host tree is a palm tree. A palm tree has a different anatomy as compared with a tree like an oak tree. The host palm tree may not die as a result, but it will be competing with the epiphytic Ficus.
Creeping Fig (Ficus pumila) - Soil and irrigation
Most members of the Ficus genus perform best in moist, yet well-drained loamy soil. Feel the soil one inch deep to determine if it is time to water, yellow leaf color is misleading in this regard.
