It's easy enough to grow an outdoor fig and produce a thing of boundless vigour with handsome leaves, but if you want the fruit, which is rather the point, it needs to be taken in hand. The wise fig planter will have confined its roots in an underground chamber lined with paving slabs to encourage it to think about fruiting. At this time of year, it needs pruning. Look at the new shoots and prune each back to four or five leaves. This will get it thinking along the right lines. The leaves will merely adorn your statues.
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Dire Straits' bassist John Illsley reveals why he swapped the recording studio for the art studio — and his consuming passionsJohn Illsley rose to fame as the bassist of the Dire Straits, but nowadays you're more likely to find him in an art studio.
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What is a Japanese llama called? The Country Life Quiz of the Day, October 20, 2025Featuring more questions you didn't know you needed the answer to.
