Celeste Fig Tree

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!