Hi, been lurking on this forum for the past year off and on, reading up on figs. I live just outside Kansas City, originally from East Coast. I am a zone pusher. I grow roses, hoyas, a few orchids and a few figs. This past year i killed my Ronde de Bordeaux. After a fabulous growing season in one of the worst droughts we have had, with scorching hot days ( but lots of H2O) and OK figs ( first crop, so expected them to be just OK) i wanted to store the tree indoors for winter. The irony is that the 3figs i had outside in the ground survived, with heavy mulch. ( Violette de Bordeaux, LSU Purple, and Chicago Hardy). I had put Ronde in a huge pot and put it into dormancy in the garage. Then i foolishly became worried about its shrivelling branches by February, and put it under grow lights in the basement. It started to then look healthy and get leaf buds. I must not have watered it enough as it started to wake up. By May, it was pathetic again, and did not have the energy to renew once more, and croaked...even the roots had rotted in the Spring rains.
My VDB was purchased from a "Edible" fruit supplier( not naming names). It came with noticeable FMV. It got big and never fruited, even after moving it a few times.
The LSU and Chicago Hardy are doing superbly up against the South wall of my house. Only Chicago has figs, but it is loaded. I am trying a few other cultivars.
Thanks for having me on this forum.