Summer Highlights - In Search of Figs III

Wednesday, September 14th
by Barbara Ozimec

The terrace I spot in Toronto's west end has all the Mediterranean features. Figs, olive trees, red and white flowering oleander. There are plenty of figs, but no olives. "This is too much work for me," says Tony, a 97-year-old Italian. All the trees are planted in plastic recycling bins. "Each year I have to take them to the back, then out here again, but, you know, I keep growing them."

As we assess the fig yield, Tony shows me how he "makes new trees." He slices down the length of a plastic pot and wraps it around a branch that has been slightly cut. The pot is filled with soil and tied in place. After a few weeks, once the roots have developed, he cuts the branch below the planter. And voilÃ ! One can't have too many figs.

A lesson in fig propagation by a master gardener.