Weeping Fig

Weeping Fig 'Midnight Petite' (Ficus benjamina 'Midnight Petite') is the small leaved, dark green form bred for containers rather than parks. It holds to about 2m tall and 1m wide, with fine weeping branches that clip into a neat column or hang as a loose fountain. This is the fig for an indoor corner, a sheltered balcony, or a row of planters that screens a view without a hedge.

Why you'll love it

• Small leaves, tidy shape. Foliage is roughly half the size of a standard weeping fig, so the plant reads as fine and dense rather than coarse.
• Genuinely low maintenance. Bright indirect light, water when the top of the mix dries, and a trim twice a year is the whole routine.
• It takes shaping. Column, ball or standard: it responds to clipping and reshoots readily from cut wood.
• A screen you can move. In troughs at 80cm spacing it makes a clipped screen for an office, courtyard or balcony.

Where it works best

Indoors. A bright room with filtered light is ideal. Deeper into a room it survives but thins out, and it dislikes being shifted, so choose a position and leave it there.

Balconies and courtyards. It handles reflected heat and humidity far better than wind, so keep it out of a cold draught and off an exposed high rise corner.

Clipped screening and topiary. Plant 80cm apart in a trough for a screen you can hold at 1.5m to 2m with two trims a year. Single 300mm plants suit a standard or a clipped column.

Growing weeping fig in Australia

Position and climate. Bright indirect light indoors, or part shade outdoors in tropical, subtropical and warm temperate gardens. It is frost tender, so anywhere that frosts, it lives inside through winter. Hot direct sun through glass scorches the leaves.

Soil. A quality free draining potting mix in a pot with drainage holes. Grow it in a container rather than open ground: fig roots are vigorous, and in a garden bed they will lift paving and find pipes.

Water and feed. Water when the top 3cm of mix is dry, then let the pot drain fully. Sudden leaf drop almost always follows a change in light, temperature or watering rhythm rather than disease. Feed a liquid fertiliser monthly through spring and summer.

Pruning. Trim in spring and again in late summer to hold shape and density. Cut stems bleed a milky sap that irritates skin and stains fabric.

What to expect when it arrives

It comes in five sizes: tube, 140mm in packs of ten, 200mm in packs of six, 250mm in packs of three, and single 300mm pots. The multi packs exist for planter runs and screens. A 300mm plant is the one to buy for a single specimen with presence.

Figs travel well but often drop a proportion of their leaves in the fortnight after a move, which looks alarming and is not. Leave it in one position, water sparingly until new shoots appear, and expect it to refurnish within four to six weeks. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• Caring for a weeping fig indoors
• Compare the ficus range
• Indoor plants on a similar routine
• Other plants that take clipping

Common questions

Why is my weeping fig dropping leaves?

Almost always a change it disliked: a move to a darker spot, a cold draught, or a mix swinging between soaked and bone dry. Settle it in one position, water steadily, and new growth returns within a month or two.

Can I plant it in the garden?

We do not recommend it. Even in this compact form the roots are aggressive, and figs in open ground have a long record of lifting paving and blocking drains. Keep it in a pot.

Is it safe around pets?

No. The milky sap irritates cats, dogs and human skin alike, so keep it out of reach of a pet that chews foliage. Space plants about 80cm apart in a planter run so the inner branches do not thin from shading.