Hello!

My husband and I recently bought our first house in NW Austin and have begun the delightful task of garden planning! Because of space issues, we will only be able to have two high-intensity backyard fig plantings.

I was thinking of three figs per planting, so 6 total. I have been having some trouble narrowing down the list! There seem to be so many lovely fig varieties!! I was wondering if someone could review the list we have come up with and let me know if you think they varieities would succeed or not. We are definitely open to other suggestions!! Like many of you, quality over quantity is what we are looking for.

Group 1
1. Black Madiera
2. Col De Dame Gris
3. Valle Negra

Group 2
1. Panache
2. Peter's Honey
3. Strawberry Verte

Thank you so much in advance!! I realize that some of these are harder to come by than others, that is ok. We are very patient people and don't mind waiting. :)

If you had all of these and that was it for a selection you picked really well. I would trade out Peter's Honey for col de dame blanc.

Calls Negra is not a real name... Has someone tried selling one to you?

You be careful, imagine your money is a loaf of bread and we are all seagulls ;) Seriously though, be careful who you trust in the fig world. Especially when it comes to what is best, expect the answers to include some marketing and perhaps some dives at your bread.

You don't have any early ripening varieties on your list. They may not get oohs and ahhs around these parts but they do make great figs that could outshine any one of the varieties on your list if they ripen in better conditions (which they probably will most years). 

Welcome to the forum, Sarah. You being in the South, you may wish to consider a Smith fig. Adriatic JH, would be another.

All of your choices are good figs, it would be good if someone local could verify that they do well in central TX.   Are you planning on covering or protecting them somehow from cold winter weather?

I agree with hoosierbanana - the main thing I would change would be adding at least one that fruits earlier, something like Ronde de Bordeaux instead of the Valle Negra perhaps.  Or a Lattarula as an earlier honey fig.

I can't speak directly to how they would do in Austin, but the Lattarula for me started early and fruited over a long season, and RdB has that reputation as well.

Sorry to ADD to the list but have you considered the tree planted in TX, and popularized by John Hood: "Adriatic JH"?

Welcome to Austin,

I grow some of these names and here's my experience with them so far.
Black Madeira from UCD growing in my yard totally unprotected and hardly growing in its third leaf. It is still about a foot tall. It could have something to do with the soil. It Produced a few delicious figs in its first season but the wait so far in my opinion is not justified.
I prefer the faster growing Violette de Sollies with its large delicious figs and upright growth habit. It will make a nice tree in your yard.
It has other names, Bourjassotte noire, Barnissote noire, Parisienne.

Col de Dame Gris is growing like a shrub in my yard and not very productive when compared to the Col de Dame White from UCD
The flavor is very close when comparing Col de Dame Blanc Noir or Gris with each other. Unfortunately the winter freezes will trim the Col de Dame Blanc each year.
The only one of the three growing slowly like a tree (not a shrub) is the Col de Dame Noire but again has not been productive in its second year.

I have Nero 600m in pot but still too young to judge. This one has been hard to root and lost two batches before I finally had a specimen.

Panache in pot and after three years is becoming root bound and did not produce a single fig for me.

Peters honey died twice on me and I stopped growing it as I have another honey type variety that does the job for me. It is the Deana fig. It has been super productive for me here in Austin.

Strawberry verte, is too general for me. There are many varieties that fit this description. I know Sucre Verte which is a French cultivar in pot. It is a super fast grower but has not produced a single fig so far. My green Ischia is wonderful.

When it comes to fast growth, Preto will leave the Black Madeira in the dust. My Preto came from a member of this forum and in one year it grew over three foot long.
My Black Madeira grew one foot in three years.

Since all Col de Dame figs are very close in taste, so far I prefer the UCD Col de Dame (Blanc) for productivity over the Col de Dame Blanc(Baud) and others.
Of the three, for best looking tree so far, Col de Dame Noir is the winner. It is not fair to judge a tree after two or three years, but this is just an observation.

Panache would be a great specimen in my yard, but still waiting for those figs. My Panache was purchased from a reputable nursery online and there's no doubt as to its authenticity.
I was so impressed with those panache figs sold at HEB that I had to get a tree.
By the way the store bought panache fruit tastes awfully close to any Col de Dame.

If I had room for only 6 trees in the ground my list might look like the following and not in order of preference:

Violette de Sollies (dark) great looking tree with large tasty dark figs that form a drop of honey when ripe.
You could see my tree here: http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/the-perfect-dark-fig-violette-de-sollies-7544044?pid=1288299389
Fracazanno Nero (purplish black fruit that is simply amazing)
Preto or another version of Black Madeira for faster growth.

Atreano produces large green super delicious figs that the birds will hopefully miss.
Jaune de Gascogne a most gorgeous tree.
Panache. I'm still hoping that my panache will eventually produce those wonderful looking figs. They should have time to ripen over the fall in TX.