Frank,

I'll give it time.

Just placed my order for one of these from Wellspring Gardens. Can't wait.

I just got one of these in the mail from Wellspring.

potatochips, I would love to have at least one cutting of atreano, mary lane, alma, and negronne.  I will pay for postage, I am in California.

Unfortunately, the original linked story has disappeared.  Does anyone have any more details about it's discovery/development?
I'm quite interested in this one, since I'm from Olympia originally (and it was the first place I remember seeing a fig tree growing in someone's yard in the U.S.).
     -Travis

From diferent sources on the web:


"'Olympian' is a ultra cold hardy fig & absolutely delicious. This fig produces very sweet fruits with thin purple skin with a red to violet flesh. Discovered by retired biologist Denny McGaughy, he named it after the city where he found it in a sheltered location. Denny worked with Malli Aradhy, a geneticist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Clonal Germplasm Repository to conduct DNA test to find out if it was a known cultivar. It did not match any of the 200+ figs in the repository. It appears Denny has found a unique heirloom variety that produces well in cool & coastal climates."

"

You probably have seen fig trees scattered through in Western Washington, but figs, ancient fruit native to the Mediterranean area, are not usually adept to growing in the cool wet winters of this area of Washington. Denny McGaughy can tell you. McGaughy, a retired environmental biologist who lives about 30 miles from Olympia in Elma, tasted his first fig on the banks of the Sacramento River in California and has been in love with the fig, which he calls, “God’s candy,” ever since. Now McGaughy has over 100 fig trees at his Elma home. What he didn’t realize was that one fig tree he had been a previously unidentified variety. McGaughy sent germplasm (the seed or tissue that can be used to develop into another entire plant) to a National Clonal Germplasm Repository in Davis, California, where it was determined that this variety, which he is calling the “Olympian,” although similar to the Latarulla variety, it is genetically unmatched to any of the repository’s collection of 200 fig trees. The collection at the repository has the largest variety of fig trees in the country, perhaps even the world.

McGaughy has collected a variety of trees that thrive in Western Washington, a task not done easily considering the fig’s preference for warm and sunny climates like the Mediterranean. The varieties he grows are acclimated to the wet mild climate of the Pacific Northwest. McGaughy received a piece of the Olympian from a 100 year-old tree from a woman in Olympia, and now has 40 starts of the Olympian. He plans on selling them to nurseries so they can be grown throughout Western Washington.  "


Also see this

http://www.sfgate.com/homeandgarden/article/Hot-figs-to-grow-in-cool-places-3259824.php

Received two small trees from Wellspring....  Trees look happy and healthy, with dark, spinach-green leaves, and no visible signs of FMV.

So far, so good.


Frank

Congrats Frank,

I gifted all but one to my friends and family.
None of them showed any signs of FMV. Mine will be up potted again this weekend into a 2gl or 3gl pot.

Mine is branching out already.

Good luck with yours

Here's the one I received from wellspring. Gorgeous little plant with no signs of fmv. Sorry if it shows up sideways.

Rafed-

Hope your "Olympian" and the other trees do well.  My little trees are already putting out a few new leaves.  If the weather warms up, here in NYC, maybe they will actually grow into something.  We are getting freezing weather, again, tonight, and over the next few days.

Yep...the little trees look "clean".  



Frank

I purchased one from Wellspring. My dog used it as floss. Only three half leaves left. It has survived over two weeks and terminal bud seems to still be growing. One tough plant.

I just got this one from Burnt Ridge a week ago. Plan to trans plant to 3 gal. Anything else I should do? I am trying to change my brown thumb into green with fig trees. Hope I make it go right. I am new to all new to all this.



 

rx2....

Very nice tree.  I'm impressed.  Lots of luck with this newer variety.


Frank

Rx2: your leaves look very different from the plant I received from Wellspring. Ill have to upload a photo later

Yeehova,
I have both cultivars (Burnt Ridge and Wellspring), they have the same leaf pattern. The unlobed (entire) leaves are usually the newly emerged leaves, it will develop leaves with deeper sinuses as the tree grows.

I estimate they've sold at least 300 plants on ebay so I bought an Olympian there, too.  I didn't think there would be enough demand for me to sell 72.  I was disappointed to find only 1 plant in the pot  :)

I bought two from burnt ridge. I stupidly set them next to my containers of veggies and the puppy thought they were more edible greens he was stealing and stripped the leaves off one. Leaves are bouncing back and I have a backup anyway. I will put one in the ground and keep one in a container.

Here is what mine looks like

Hopefully this cultivar will turn out to be a winner here in the northeast. It seems that we are losing our heat in the summer here. I purchased 2 trees from Burnt Ridge and they are now both in 3 gallon nursery pots and have fully leafed out. I am starting to think that our already short growing season is shrinking further here in NY.

Happy growing to all those who are trialing the new "Olympian" fig variety. 

Because my little trees will be small, tender, and young, I will give them a very brief dormancy, if at all, and continue to grow them throughout the winter in my very sunny kitchen, right up against sliding glass patio doors.  No cold storage for these trees, not yet.  They'll get the "kid glove" treatment for the next 2-3 years.

My trees from Wellspring seem to be fast growers, and over the last 4-6 weeks, have tripled in size ....growing many more leaves and developing some noticeably thicker stems.  The leaves are clean, and look free of any diseases.  It looks like the trees are off to a good start.  I hope the trend continues.  I'm feeding with "Espoma, Iron-Tone", and also with 1/4 strength "Miracle-Grow", with each watering.  I'm hoping for 10-11 months of leaves, and 1-2 months of resting.


Frank

Are the plants from Burnt Ridge from cuttings of a mature, fruiting branch? Or are they TC origin plants, or cuttings of them? The pics certainly look like mature wood.

Mike in Hanover, VA