Photo of Italian Honey Fig fruit by Forestfarm

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Buy Italian Honey Fig

Scientific Name: Ficus carica 'Lattarula'

Also Known As

  • Ficus 'Laterulla'
  • Laterulla Fig

Plant type

tree, shrub, fruit / vegetable

size

  • H: 10'-20'
  • W: 10'-20'

planting zones

  • 7b-10b

1 gallon | $39

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Italian Honey Fig plant details

Italian Honey Fig is a broadleaf deciduous fruit / vegetable, shrub or tree with green foliage. In spring flowers emerge followed by green and yellow fruit. Features glossy texture. Grows well with sun and regular water. Does well in average, rich and well-drained soil.

CHARACTERISTICS OF Italian Honey Fig

Plant type: fruit / vegetable, shrub or tree
Plant family: moraceae
Foliage: deciduous green
Mature size: 10 FT - 20 FT - wide, 10 FT - 20 FT - tall
Uses: big leaves, edible, showy, small tree, tropical-looking

GROWING CONDITIONS for Italian Honey Fig

USDA Zones: 7b - 10b
Sun exposure: sun
Watering frequency: regular
Soil needs: average, rich and well-drained

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Nursery contributed plant descriptions

Wonderful, honey-sweet figs have soft-green skin and gorgeous golden-amber flesh and are good for fresh eating or dried. Large, lobed leaves are very attractive on this 10-20' tall and wide shrubby tree. These delicious figs bear two crops in warm gardens and one in cooler climates. This is a very good choice for the Pacific Northwest. S/M
A short season variety, Italian Honey Fig produces two crops of bright yellow fruit each season which are sweeter than typical purple figs. The trees are compact and typically only grow to 8-10 feet tall which allows for much closer tree spacing. 
Pruning and Caring for Italian Honey Figs
Italian Honey Fig is a medium to large size fig, so we prefer to prune the tops when young to ensure lots of branching down low to encourage fruit production where it is easily accessible. Prune in the winter down to three or four buds on each branch to encourage strong branching while leaving enough for fruiting the following season. As the trees mature, switch to pruning out branches that crowd other branches but no longer cutting back the main stems. You can top the tree to six feet to keep the plant smaller.

Figs prefer moist soils with lots of organic matter, consider adding shredded bark or compost when planting if your soil is poor. However, we have compact clay at our nursery and we still get at least 80% of the normal fruit production on un-amended trees so if you can't improve your soil it's not the end of the world. Fertilize with a slow release pelleted fertilizer in early spring, such as Osmocote Plus 18-18-18.

Propagating Italian Honey Figs
Figs are relatively easy to propagate from cuttings, especially in winter using hardwood cuttings. Cut stems five to eight inches long with the bottom cut just below a node, dip in rooting hormone and stick an inch deep in loose potting soil in mid winter.
Itallian Honey is a widly adapted fig. Its ability to be used dried, canned and fresh has earned this sweet fig the name Italian Honey.
Also known as Italian Honey Fig. Tends to bear two crops, the fall crop being more reliable than the summer. The delicious, green-skin fruit with honey colored flesh ripens in mid September.

By: Greer Gardens Inc.

Large roundish yellow fruit with golden flesh is the most reliable in my area. Ripening in September. Zone 7.
Of the many edible fig cultivars available, I originally chose to grow this one because of its potential to reach a relatively large size quickly in the Northwest. Although it has been vigorous, its growth has mostly been outwards rather than up! However, it has developed into an attractive shrubby tree, and is perfectly hardy. Fruit production is reliable once the plant has been established for a few years; in fact, it is one of the few figs that reliably produces two crops per year in a hot microclimate in the Pacific Northwest. The fruit has green skin with amber flesh and can be used fresh or dried. Buy one for your Italian honey! Hardy to at least 5 °F.

Gardening facts about Italian Honey Fig plant

How to Grow Italian Honey Fig

  • Sun Exposure

    • sun
  • Water Needs

    • regular
  • Soil Needs

    • average
    • well-drained
    • rich

Features

  • Foliage Color

    • green
  • Fruit

    • yellow
    • green
  • Flower Season

    • spring
  • Foliage Season

    • deciduous
  • Texture

    • glossy
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