Herman - Col de Dame Grise

Herman's CdDG cuttings have been the single most productive variety I've grown from cuttings so far. Last year, drivewayfarmer's Adriatic JH and RdB grew magnificently well and shot up 4-5 feet in their first season, but these CdDG might beat them. These CdDG arrived on January 10th as brown sticks and look at this:

4/5 of the CdDG not only rooted quickly, but outgrew their rooting cups and now are living happily in those pots. The foremost one in the photo was just up-potted a week or so ago, yet it's the fastest grower. The last one, which is not pictured, is still alive but hasn't put out any visible roots just yet.

Figaro - LSU Purple and Strawberry Verte

I received many healthy cuttings from Figaro early last month and most of them have rooted already. These three were the most determined of the bunch and got up-potted maybe three days ago. I got these much later than Herman's cuttings so while they didn't have as much time to produce large foliage, please trust that they are all incredibly healthy nonetheless.

Just Fruits & Exotics - Smith

A bunch of witches. Look at this gorgeous thing:

That tree came to me in February. It was labeled with the date April 2014, so I assume that's when it was made ready for sale or when it was propagated. Either way, it is beautiful. It came with zero leaves and in less than a month, has turned into just this stunning, thriving plant. 

(I should mention that drivewayfarmer's cuttings did just as well last year and are of the same height. While I rooted and took care of those myself, my point of this digression is that the overall health of the plant material for both sources is apparent.)

I've purchased three trees from JF&E: a Hollier, a LSU Scott's Black, and a Smith. All of the trees were at approximately 4 feet in height and had a hefty rootball with healthy roots. The trees were packaged expertly and sustained no damage - not that damage is really up to them as soon as it goes into transport. Still, I confidently recommend them.

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I don't know any of these people; I don't get a kickback from them - I'm not in cahoots with them. I've met Figaro and while he's cool (and has a healthy garden), we're not in on anything together. I want to make it clear that these have just been a few sources who have made the search for good quality plants that much easier.

I love figs; they're a part of my heritage and I think they're my favorite food of all foods, so it's important to me that I know what I'm growing. I'd also like to thank the contributors on these forums who have made it possible for people to learn good gardening habits. I could not have produced this without you all.

Thank you and I look forward to keeping the forum updated with information regarding the harvest, fruit quality, and overall performance for my zone and climate.

Thanks, everyone. 

Yeah, Kerry was really helpful when I bought from him last year. He was really comprehensive when answering all my questions and it was just all around a great transaction.

And JF&E has great customer service. I've called them before and they were also generous with their time and knowledge. I have nothing but nice things to say about them.

Dennis, please keep us updated on the Black Madeira. And you're right, their shipping can be a bit expensive but at least you know you're going to get a real, healthy tree. Good to know about Rolling River. I'll check them out.