Celeste Fig Tree

As low as $69.00 was $149.99
Availability: In stock
SKU
CFT001

Smooth and sweet as sugar, the Celeste Fig (Ficus carica 'Celestial') is one of the most widely planted Fig trees in the United States and with good reason. This Fig tree produces such sweet and delicious fruit that it often goes by its nickname, the "Sugar Fig".

The fruit features edible, violet skin and rose-colored, strawberry-like flesh inside. It earns its nickname each summer with scrumptiously sweet fruit that has a rich, buttery-smooth flavor and texture. The fruit is not only delicious - it's beautiful, too!

You'll feel good about this nutrient-dense, fiber-rich snack loaded with calcium, potassium and magnesium. Figs are great for bone strength and improve digestion. The taste? Think Fig Newtons without the mealy, cakey coating. Fresh or dried, Figs are a nutritional powerhouse for your whole family!

The tree itself makes an impressive specimen. You'll love the distinctive, deep-green lobed Fig leaves that grace the tree all summer long. The leaves have such a wonderful, tropical shape and the branches have a nice-looking structure. It's a medium-sized tree that doesn't need a lot of pruning. It will stay small enough for you to easily harvest your crop!

Celeste does set a small early - or Breba - crop, but this variety is all about the high quality of the late-season main crop. This fruit is an exceptional variety for drying. This is a 'closed-eye' variety, which means the little eye on the bottom of the fruit stays tight. This helps it resist pests, splitting, and souring, and is good for keeping out natural pests like wasps. This is especially welcome in those long, humid summers of the Deep South.

Thriving throughout USDA growing zones 6 to 10! Well known to be a vigorous grower in the more humid climates of the South, Celeste shows itself to be a more compact grower in the drier climates of the Western and Southwestern United States. This tree produces well in coastal areas.

Planting and Application:

While this fruit tree will produce fruit on its own, you'll enjoy a larger crop with two or more trees. For a grove of Celeste Figs, plant them about 10 feet apart. You'll measure from the center of one trunk to the center of the next.

Celeste is a beautiful ornamental tree growing 10-15 feet in height and width, plus can be pruned smaller as needed. The lush, large, tropical-looking foliage can screen out ugly views for you with the lower branches providing wonderful screening and boost your privacy. Working great either in the ground or in large containers!

It is also one of the best for containers grown as patio décor. Even container-grown plants can be placed "strategically" to boost your privacy. Use them very successfully as a wonderfully useful hedge.

You'll know when Celeste Figs are ripe when they start turning purple on the tree. They'll also soften up on the tree!

Celeste Figs can be eaten fresh for a delightful treat. No need to peel, you can eat the skin and all! The fruit also dries perfectly for long-term storage and easy snacking. Celeste is a prolific producer. You'll have plenty of Figs on hand to make luscious fig preserves. We recommend trying a mix of fully ripe and still-firm Figs when making your preserves. What a treat on crusty bread over farm-fresh butter!

Figs can dry in a dehydrator, or you can leave them hanging in the tree to dry on their own in the sun. Chop them with almonds, cashews, dates and cinnamon to create healthy fudge, or use as a mainstay sweetener in homemade energy bars. Of course, you can also enjoy these fabulous natural desserts all on their own as the perfect way to end a healthy meal.

Want an easy gourmet appetizer? Slice figs and stuffing figs with artisan goat cheese. Then add a wrap of bacon (or prosciutto, if you can find it!) and place on the grill for a few minutes or bake for about 10 minutes. Yum, now that's a perfect late-summer treat.

  • Luscious Sweet, Butter-Smooth Fruit
  • High-Quality Late Season Main Crop
  • Lush Lobed Green Foliage
  • Partially Self-Fruitful - Plant More Than One For Pollination
  • Wonderful in High Heat, Humidity, Coastal Conditions & Containers
  • Edible Landscaping, Screening/Privacy, Containers, Specimens

#ProPlantTips for Care:

Celeste Fig is a deciduous tree and is one of the easiest fruit trees you can grow in every edible landscape. Here's why:

Please give Celeste a planting location in full sunlight and well-drained soil. Once established, it will require very little supplemental watering except in the hot interior valleys of the Central Valley of California. You won't want to let Figs sit in standing water, allow the water to drain fully. They'll like a thick layer of mulch over their root systems, and you'll appreciate the savings on your water bill. Pull mulch back 6 inches back from the trunk.

Very easy to grow, Fig Trees can be trained in a number of different ways. Grow it with a single trunk as a standard tree or allow multiple trunks to grow and create a shrubby tree. No matter how you choose to use it in your landscape, it's simple to keep the plant to an "easy picking" height with regular pruning when dormant. Figs are one of the best plants to train as an Espalier tree, or to grow in containers!

In Zone 6 and 8, remember to insulate the root from winter cold with burlap or other protective materials. For winter protection, move your container plant to a well-lit covered patio area and cover it with a frost blanket. You can also move the container into an unheated shed or garage once it's dormant to overwinter it.

When growing in a container, please select a deep container that has plenty of drainage holes in the bottom. Drill a few more, if you need to. Give container-grown fruit regular water, but don't use a saucer under outdoor containers.

Some people do grow them in containers so they can be wintered in unheated garages, cool greenhouses, or areas where the plants remain dormant but will not get colder than about 20°F. These trees don't do best being brought in as houseplants, and do need to go dormant for winter, but can be temporarily housed indoors during extreme weather.

Celeste Fig is disease resistant. It's also heat tolerant, versatile, and adapts beautifully to most climates.

  • Best in Full Sun
  • Moderate Moisture Needs
  • Enriched Well-Drained Soil
  • Prune When Dormant
  • Closed-Eye Fig - Resists Souring
  • Disease & Deer Resistant
  • Low Chill - About 100 Hours

Figs are one of Nature's perfect foods. Celeste is one of the best of the best, with exceptional flavor and ease of care. Overall, growers love this easy-peasy, sugar-sweet Fig variety! The Celeste Fig from Nature Hills will be true to type, so find a location in your yard for this very special age-old favorite and begin enjoying figs as soon as next year. Order yours from us today!

Fig Tree FAQ

At what age do Celeste Fig Trees bear fruit?

Nature Hills ships Fig trees with mature root systems that are already 2-3 years of age and the typical Fig tree will begin producing fruit at 3-5 years in optimal conditions.

Where is the best place to plant a Celeste Fig tree?

Fig trees, like nearly all fruiting trees and shrubs, need enriched, well-drained soil in a full sun location to flower and fruit the best.

Are Fig Trees Self-Pollinating

Fig Trees are partially self-fruitful but do best with a pollination partner. Celeste is a closed eyed-type of Fig and should have another similar Fig Tree planted nearby to maximize pollination chances.

What Shipping Options Do You Offer?

NatureHills.com works closely with our growers and nursery professionals to ensure we ship when it is most appropriate for your area. Our goal is to deliver the hardiest plants by avoiding extreme high and low temperatures. Check out our shipping schedule for more information and to learn our wills and won'ts when it comes to shipping plants. Find your Fig Trees for sale here at NatureHills.com!

Buying Options for Plants

Nature Hills sells a large variety of plants with several options available. Plants are offered in both potted containers and as dormant bare root without soil. Here is a helpful resource to understand your options as you create a beautiful landscape with help from Nature Hills.

Ever wonder what a larger plant will mean for your landscape? Container Sizes are really all about the age of the plant!

Seasonally, Nature Hills offers hand selected, high quality bare root trees, shrubs and perennials. Bare root plants are sold by height from the top of the root system to the top of the plant. Plants may be taller than the height minimums.

  • Popular sizes of select trees are 1 foot, 2 feet, 3 feet, etc.
  • Popular sizes of select bare root plants is 1 foot, 18 inches, etc.

Nature Hills Container Size by Volume

Keep in mind, specific varieties and different growing conditions can affect the rate at which plants grow. Variations in size may occur.

Young Plants to 18 Months
Size Volume
2"x2"x3" Ranges from .18 to .21 dry quarts / .198 to .23 dry liters in volume
4.5" Container Equal to .65 dry quart / .72 dry liter in volume
Sprinter Pot Equal to .63 dry quart / .69 dry liter in volume
4" Container Ranges from .31 to .87 / .35 to .96 dry liter in volume
6" Container Equal to 1.4 dry quarts / 1.59 dry liters in volume
1 Quart Equal to 1 dry quart / 1.1 dry liter in volume
5.5" Container Equal to 1.89 of a dry quart / 2.08 dry liters in volume
4"x4"x5" Ranges from .8 to 1.1 dry quarts / .88 to 1.2 dry liters in volume
4"x4"x6" Ranges from 1.0 to 1.3 dry quarts / 1.1 to 1.41 dry liters in volume
4"x4"x9" Ranges from 1.1 to 2.1 dry quarts / 1.2 to 2.3 dry liters in volume
4"x4"x10" Ranges from 1.7 to 2.3 dry quart / 1.87 to 2.53 dry liters in volume
Plants 18 Months - 2.5 Years Old
Size Volume
2 Quart Equal to 2 dry quarts / 2.2 dry liters in volume
#1 Container Ranges from 2.26 to 3.73 dry quarts / 2.49 to 4.11 dry liters in volume
5"x5"x12" Equal to 3.5 to 4.3 dry quarts / 3.85 to 4.74 dry liters in volume
Plants 2 - 4 Years Old
Size Volume
#2 Container Ranges from 1.19 to 1.76 dry gallons / 5.24 to 7.75 dry liters in volume
#3 Container Ranges from 2.32 to 2.76 dry gallons / 10.22 to 12.16 dry liters in volume
Plants 3 - 5 Years Old
Size Volume
#5 Container Ranges from 2.92 to 4.62 dry gallons / 12.86 to 20.35 dry liters in volume
#6 Container Ranges from 5.25 to 6.01 dry gallons / 23.12 to 26.42 dry liters in volume
#7 Container Ranges from 5.98 to 6.08 dry gallons / 26.34 to 26.78 dry liters in volume

About Plant Sentry™

Plant Sentry is designed to protect both consumers and the nursery trade from invasive plant pests and diseases. Sites that display the Plant Sentry protection badge are protected from consumers buying and nurseries shipping material carrying invasive pests and diseases.

This proprietary eCommerce software prevents the shipment of a restricted plant to each state. The Plant Sentry system includes a shipment certification program. The Plant Sentry Compliance Officer works closely with NatureHills.com and each nursery or fulfillment center to ensure only compliant plants are sold to customers.

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Shipping

To obtain a more accurate shipment time-frame, simply enter your zip code in the “Find Your Growing Zone” box to the right. Our plants are grown all over the country and lead time on items may be different because of this. Once your order is placed, you will also receive the specific shipment time-frame information as part of your order confirmation. Once an item ships, you will receive shipment notification and tracking numbers, so you can follow along while your plant travels to your doorstep. We use FedEx, UPS, or USPS at our discretion.

Due to winter weather we have put a hold on shipping to the areas shown below in grey. You can still order now and we will ship the plant to you during an appropriate time for your zone.

*If you have found your zone already, it will be highlighted in the table below.
Color Zone Times
3 Spring 2019
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Shipping Rates

At Nature Hills we handle, package and ship the products you order with the utmost care to ensure healthy delivery. Shipping and handling charges are calculated based on the tables below. Please note that some items include an additional handling surcharge, these will be noted on the item's product page.

From To S&H
0 - 19.99 24.99
20 - 49.99 29.99
50 - 69.99 34.99
70 - 99.99 39.99
100 - 129.99 44.99
130 - 149.99 48.99
150 - 150+ Approx 28%

Click here to see our full rates

Beloved Celeste Fig Favored Through History

A fig by many names, the Celeste Fig (Ficus carica 'Celestial') is thought to be the age old 'Malta' selection as described as far back as the early 1700's in Europe.

Brought to the United States In the mid 1700's (the Malta) or Celeste Fig was touted for its cold hardiness. The sweet fruit was wonderfully rich, with a buttery smooth flavor and texture.

The qualities of this unique fruit did not stop there; it also was known for drying right on the tree without souring. The fresh fruit that remained unpicked on the tree would dry to become what was known as sweetmeat.

PLANT HIGHLIGHTS

Celeste Fig Tree Is Suited to Grow in Zones 6-10
Growing Zones 6-10
More Information
Brand Nature Hills' Choice
Botanical Name Ficus carica 'Celestial'
Type Deciduous
Mature Height 10 - 15 feet
Mature Spread 10 - 15 feet
Sun Exposure Full Sun, Partial Shade
Soil Widely Adaptable
Moisture Low to Average
Growth Rate Fast, Medium
Foliage Color Green
Fall Color Yellow
Pollinator Friendly Yes
Fruiting Time Late Season
Pruning Time When Dormant