Laura's Flora Photo Journal

Fiddle Leaf Fig

Fiddle leaf figs seemed to be the "it" plant a few years ago. Everyone on Instagram had one. All interior designers added them to their spaces. It was a statement plant. Until people realised how hard they were to care for...

If you overwater it, it drops leaves. If you underwater it, it drops leaves. If it is drafty, it drops leaves. If there is sun, if there isn't sun, if you move it from one spot to another, drop drop drop.

I wasn't going to get one. They were expensive and easy to kill. I didn't need that stress in my life. And then how most of my stories go, I saw one for cheap and had to buy it... It was R80! It was this small plant, probably at most 20cm. And at the grocery store. I know you shouldn't buy plants from the grocery store. They are 9 times out of 10 going to die within a week. But it was R80!

So I bought it. Walking home, it was the windiest day to be walking around with a plant. I was being blown backwards. And a leaf ripped. It wasn't a good start. I made it home with the plant mostly intact, treated it with pesticide (always do this, especially if you buy a plant from the grocery store) and hoped it would last the month.

I lost four leaves. About one a week. I thought it was the end. But then somehow it got comfortable, or I got comfortable and stopped baby-ing it. And it started to grow. Its now been 2 years and it stands 60cm tall. It loses a leaf anytime I change its location, so I've just left it in the corner with enough light and barely touch it. I get a new leaf maybe every 3 months if I'm lucky. I once got two leaves at the same time! That was really cool.

I see lots of big Fiddle leafs for sale all over the place right now, but they all look beat up and shoddy. I'm glad I got mine small and grew it myself, because all the leaves look good and healthy and the plant is quite stunning.

Fiddle Leaf Fig - July 2022