How to Care for the Fabulous Fiddleleaf Fig

Nell is the writer and gardening expert behind Joy Us garden

Yes it’s true. The Fiddleleaf Fig, or Ficus lyrata, is one of my very favorite houseplants and always has been. I’m crazy for its huge, tough, leaves which are shaped like violins and look like road maps.

This plant is especially favored by people by those who are fans of a groovy, modern environment. I believe it would fit into a Palm Springs lounge with ease. It has a very different look from its more common leaf laden Ficus benjamina cousin, that’s for sure.

Step 1:

As you can see, even the smaller ones have huge leaves.

This post marks the switch back to the vlog format so be sure to watch the video below which was shot in a grower’s greenhouse. There’s a bit of noise in the background but that’s the water running down the walls which is part of the cooling system as well as ventilation fans. These plants grow outdoors here in Santa Barbara so if you stroll all the way to the bottom, you’ll see pictures of one in the great outdoors.

Step 2:

You can find the Fiddleleaf Figs in various forms like single stemmed, multi stemmed, full to base and standard (that’s industry speak for “treelike”). As they age, the lower leaves tend to fall off and their stems twist and gnarl a bit. Quite a cool look. Here’s the encapsulated version of what they need:

Light: Medium to high Water: Average Pests: They’re susceptible to mealy bug & scale. If you want more info on this plant and many others which which you’ll welcome into your home, please check out my book Keep Your Houseplants Alive. It’s a practical guide written in simple terms with lots of pictures.

Happy (houseplant) gardening,

Nell

Nell is the writer and gardening expert behind Joy Us garden