An interesting fig adventure, I hope, is on its way ....

Yesterday I was in Oregon, today I am back to Texas .
Weather in Portland , Oregon by the time I left was 52 degree F but wet . Arrived at 3:00 pm Saturday ---> DFW , 32 degree F but dry/cold/sunny ,

One day, just enough time to fill a backpack full of fig scions and some trees , get ready for Europe .

A fig adventure will begin Wednesday Jan 28, heading London first. Does anyone here suggest me to go first ? 
Look for fig trees in Regent Park ? Well, it is quite large there . Any specific location in Regent Park ?
A Chelsea tree 5' high is already waiting for me in London, but I still want to visit the famous big one at a hotel, near the Thames river

Good luck, Mai! Stay warm and HAVE FUN!!! Do post pictures :-)

I will , Smyfigs

Grant,
Thank you for the picture that you just posted 


I will look for an old fig tree in Europe and sit under its branches ( no foliage at this time of the year) to pray . Yes, the truth will set me free ... and NOTHING can make me tremble 

Congratulations, have a great time and Good luck!

Yes, do sit under a fig tree, Mai...what a wonderful time u will have.

Oh how fun. No problems taking Figs or fig cuttings with you? Can't wait to hear of your adventures. Safe journeys.

Jodi,
hopefully everything will be fine . I think the US law is tougher than any other countries in the world .

London, UK

Nice scare tactic lol

Yea who knows. Might be suspicious with trees in hand lol

Tomorrow I will ship the trees to an address in London, UK . Hopefully I will get them 3,4 days after my arrival . I was in London last year with 2 suitcases full of ... foods and cuttings. Nothing happened . But this time I do not want to take another chance .   

There is a fig tree at the entrance to Nottingham castle. Also fig trees in the lost gardens of Heligan.

The question is...can you bring cuttings BACK into the U.S? Is this allowed?

[QUOTE=alanmercieca]Make sure that they are mailed without dirt, bare root. If you are to take the risk of mailing them then there is less trouble to get in to if they are bare root.[/QUOTE]

alanmercieca,

yes I already removed all the dirt and 90 % of the roots 

[IMG]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a133/hongkhackimmai/bb3a3ff1-6c53-47d3-87fc-8125a2fa273e_zps0b5aewal.jpg[/IMG]


Smyfigs,
The US does not care if you bring trees out of the country, but it is illegal to bring cuttings/trees back into the US .  They will confiscate if they find cuttings in your baggage 

Good luck with your fig adventure, Mai.

Are visiting only the UK or other European countries?

Safer in luggage. Mail is monitored. Luggage is scanned for money, drugs & explosions. Cutting have no red flags. They dont open luggage unless scanner or drug dogs show interest. My opinion. I been caught by mail.

Yes, I thought so, Mai.  I guess there are other means...

Mai,

You could make a nice crucifix out of 2 cuttings, a fig cutting picture frame or the best one is to make coat hangers and use a fig cutting as the bar wrapped in cloth, be creative!! I am cheering for you.Have fun.

Or you could make a cute little bridge for a fairy garden, out of Ponte tresa cuttings of course. ;)
Call it an art project. Just joking :)

Hehehehe....Figgysid

Slip a few cuttings in a bundle of cinnamon sticks!  

Thank you for all the tricks, guys !
Hope that I can find some good ones . Wish me luck !
One more day, then GO !

Yes a member in the UK asked me to label his cuttings for shipping as "craft wood".  I was thinking of doing god's eye with yarn out of cuttings.  So this brings up the question how did the Ponte Tresa, etc. cuttings get back here?  I can't wait to hear of your adventures Mai.  I am hoping to hop the pond for an adventure on 4-1 maybe Spain or Italy.  Protection around you and the figs.   Enjoy.

Jodi, the God's eye is a good one!  Lol....

Grant, maybe if Mai sprayed some cinnamon on the cuttings they MIGHT pass...the operative word is MIGHT.

Hello Mai,
In London, Buckingham palace garden, on the street side there is supposed to be a very historic rare breed fig tree given to them by some Pop from Vatican...I don't know much details about it but you could find a way to get cuttings. The tree is for sure dormant.
Please be discrete and wear your black Ninja Suit.
Good luck :)

Thank you so much for all tricks and whispers . Look like people here are encouraging me to break the law !!!!  I will restraint myself to do such a thing the lesser the better . Will enjoy the trip and the Nature discovery more than anything ...



On my way from DFW to Heathrow, UK today . Will arrive London early tomorrow     

I'm not sure a whole thread dedicated to breaking the law is a great idea.....

Mai, Have a safe and enjoyable flight and trip.

[QUOTE=Jodi]Oh how fun. No problems taking Figs or fig cuttings with you? Can't wait to hear of your adventures. Safe journeys. [/QUOTE]

Taking figs out of the States is Okay with our USDA .
Bringing bare root trees into UK ? I do not know the law there . If it illegal they will confiscate, that is the worst scenario  . If they say nothing, I guess ---> no problem .

Mai - have a safe trip. Look forward to seeing your adventures documented in text and pictures. You will have a blast whether you find fig trees or not, enjoy yourself!!!

Mai, I always ask permission for cuttings.  In your case, at Buckingham palace, who would you ask?  Okay, so maybe you won't get cuttings from THAT tree...

[QUOTE=alanmercieca]there is a five fig cutting limit in luggage to the UK, trees are not allowed there unless there is a certificate.[/QUOTE]

Mine do not have a phyto certificate but all the roots have to be removed to be qualified as CUTTING even though the trunk is a 3-year-old tree itself and about 2' long !

[QUOTE=brianm]Yea who knows. Might be suspicious with trees in hand lol[/QUOTE]

I carried my trees in hand. Some ladies thought that I carried a vase ! When I arrived Heathrow airport, nobody suspected me anything , but if I tried to hide something then they would know by the way you walked with lack of confidence.

My philosophy : I have nothing to hide . Or you accept it or you take it away ---> both ways are fine with me .
So when they asked me to open the package , I cooperated . They saw the trees . They said trees are not allowed for entry , but cuttings are okay . So I cut off all the roots, except some fine hair. I smiled and the guy said that he did not see the hair (! Thank you, Sir !) .

Wow what an adventure Mai.  I can see the "Fig Discovery" books and movies coming out soon to a theater near you.  Keep us updated on the rest of the adventure.  ;-)

Mai, most of the good stuff is already here!  Enjoy your trip.

My 13 year old granddaughter will be my tour guide during my stay in London UK  



Greetings from London !

Oh she is a beauty Mai.  And smart too.  Look at those fingers playing the piano.  It sounds like such a lovely time.  Enjoy.  

You must be very proud to have such a wonderful grandchild Mai.  The only thing missing in the video was the applause at the end!  I clapped from here in the USA :)

Adreanna is very pretty. And, shes talented also!! Beethoven!!! One of my favorite composers!! Do enjoy your touring and keep posting!!

Another way to ship your cuttings.  

This us wonderful music! Congrats...

I am having some problems with my phone . It is a Galaxy S6 (Samsung) by Sprint ;
1) I went to a Phone store in Central London to buy a sim but they refuse to do it , telling me that I have to unlock the phone first . I do not know how to do it . Can someone here help ?
2) I am frustrated with my phone ! it is useless now except for taking pictures . It is automatically switched to roaming that I am very afraid to use 
3) how to do the GPS coordinates ?  
Thanks
Mai 

[QUOTE=lolita1234]I am having some problems with my phone . It is a Galaxy S6 (Samsung) by Sprint ;
1) I went to a Phone store in Central London to buy a sim but they refuse to do it , telling me that I have to unlock the phone first . I do not know how to do it . Can someone here help ?
2) I am frustrated with my phone ! it is useless now except for taking pictures . It is automatically switched to roaming that I am very afraid to use 
3) how to do the GPS coordinates ?  
Thanks
Mai [/QUOTE]

You have to pay to get it programmed if you want it unlocked.

You can turn off the international roaming if you don't want to use it under settings.

What you can do is load the map area you need for the day then gps works. Most areas can use the function of "make it available offline" If you have this function, you can pin locations.

[QUOTE=alanmercieca]If your phone is unlocked then you'd have a major problem with Sprint, unlocked means it can be used by any carrier, normally a sprint phone can only use sprint, if it's unlocked then your phone would not be able to use sprint unless sprint goes to the trouble of locking it again. In some ways unlocking the phone is illegal unless your phone service is disconnected, the place that would not unlock it for you could get in serious trouble if they did for you, it's not the phone it's sprint why they will no do that. If I were you I'd use a calling ap that uses your phone trough wifi, We have vonage, with our service we can use their ap to make calls around the world from anywhere in the world through wifi at no extra charge.

You should be able to find an unlocked cell phone in London yet I have no idea how much they cost there.[/QUOTE]

No wonder they (Vonage) refused to unlock !
Yes, my daughter did use a calling ap for my phone but today I got lost in the middle of a road (no stores around) ---> no wifi ---> cannot do a thing !

Cheekyjen,
No wifi, cannot load the map ! no Internet, nothing !
I turned off the roaming but it comes back . The vonage guy says roaming turns on automatically, cannot turn it off

The four musketeers ---> ready for fig hunting at Regent Park



These 3 little guys live 1 block away from Regent Park . They have been playing tennis at RP every Saturday, so they sure know every corner of this Park .


For short cut, we entered a private garden reserved for local residents




The garden is quite big, with many tulips and winter flowers . Some cherry trees start to bloom . After 1 hour searching we found no fig tree !

In order to go to RP, the young man told his grandma that we have to go through a tunnel




It is called The Nurse's Maid Tunnel

[QUOTE=lolita1234]
Cheekyjen,
No wifi, cannot load the map ! no Internet, nothing !
I turned off the roaming but it comes back . The vonage guy says roaming turns on automatically, cannot turn it off[/QUOTE]

You have to load the map before you leave the hotel. It will work with GPS so at least you know where you are and which way you need to travel. You will not be able to use it for searching on the run since you have no data. With a little bit of pre-planning and pinning of reataurants, landmarks, it allows for navigational wanderlust.

At the end of the day, you are on vacation. Enjoy it.. allow yourself to get lost a bit... and perhaps, shut down and allow your senses to take you places!

I usually turn my phone to airplane mode when I am international to conserve battery

alan,
Thank you so much for the info . I wish I can drive in London !I will try my best to go to those places 

Please identify this fig :

A family friend in London gave me 2 cuttings of this fig without a name, just a picture of it  

[IMG]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a133/hongkhackimmai/f4ca6e70-a923-48c2-999a-f0d0f970441f_zpsmst83gab.jpg[/IMG]

Nice!  Did you get your phone problem solved?  Many people rent a cellphone in Europe.

Mai!  Wow, great photo of you!  You take good selfies :-D  And the fig tree is amazing too!  Unimaginably HUGE!  Great photo updates.  Thank you!

Mai, when I traveled to Nicaragua in July I used my HG G4 with Sprint and called from the airport (wish I had done it sooner as it was hard to hear!) and they set me up on some free international plan that made calling possible and it was quite reasonable, maybe $.25/minute and data was free.  I didn't bother to ask them to unlock it because of this but my son's phone with T-Mobile was unlocked by T-Mobile just fine.  Different phones have different bands so they won't work with any carrier like Alan says but might work with a carrier there with the right one.  I suggest you find a way to call Sprint and get your phone put on this plan, it was a bit complicated but worked out well.  In Nicaragua I did not always have data services but had the ability to make outgoing calls (calls to me did not work, however, but I did get to listen to voice mails when I got onto data and then call back).  In larger cities the data worked fine and I would imagine it would work out well there in Europe.

Mai looks like you are doing London in style.
-----
My poor suffering Wife wants to know if all fig trees get knots and bubbles like the 400 year old ship o' Dunwich?

Oh my gosh Mai. That old fig looks like an ancient Ganesha god still living on this earth.  A remover of obstacles.  Looks like you are having a grand time with the grandkids too.  A great looking bunch you have grown there too.  Blessings on the rest of your journey, Jodi

Alan thank you for the info. Mai thanks for the pic. The "Ship of dunwich" looks like it belongs in the Lucas fantasy "Degoba System".

[QUOTE=lolita1234]From the train station to the Pub The Ship At Dunwich I had to order a cab because no way that I could walk 5 miles away . The taxi brought me into a very narrow road that zigzagged like a serpent and dropped me at an intersection ( taxi fare was GBP 23.00 ).
[IMG]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a133/hongkhackimmai/71d7d185-81b1-4f3a-8a04-0b62b61fbd77_zpsf3hip9ah.jpg[/IMG]


From that intersection, I could see the Pub 
 [IMG]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a133/hongkhackimmai/a09f2d53-8a6c-4bb1-abbb-966293045561_zpseizyxi95.jpg[/IMG] 

The front side
[IMG]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a133/hongkhackimmai/c0cd73dc-977f-4369-97c6-d1a787e1f0eb_zpsn5vwduxk.jpg[/IMG]

Next door was a museum . A museum told you the history of the place where I was going to explore  
[IMG]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a133/hongkhackimmai/ae0d8c5e-70f8-4eaf-b6d9-7066d649bfad_zpsp6ikv0qo.jpg[/IMG]

Once upon a time there was a village at this location with a busy harbor. Many ships from other countries came here , and many merchandises were imported to England, including fig trees . Somehow the coast ravaged this part of the country and the whole village disappeared. The Fig tree survived and is still growing every year . Its true age is FOUR HUNDRED years, not 300 hundred as mentioned somewhere in this forum 



(to be continued) 





Here I am with the 400 year old fig tree of The Ship Of Dunwich

[/QUOTE]Love the tree and the hat.

More fig trees, less selfies please ;-)

Moonvil,
Thank you for your input . If I am not allowed to be freely express myself in this thread, then ..... end of the story ./.

I just freely expressed my wish, nothing else.

It's your thread Mai, love the photos, keep them coming. Other members want to see more.

Yes Mai, more please!!!  It is great to see you, your family and your figgy adventures.  ;-)  

One of the place that I had in mind to visit (when I am in London) is the Ship At Dunwich where a 300 year old Fig tree is located . 
By searching in the Internet, I thought that TSAD is not very far from Central London and easy to find .But I was wrong , the more I went deep into the info, the more I felt frustrated (taxi cost would be almost $450.00 round trip, 10 times more than a round trip flight ticket from London to Spain !!!) to take a tub then 2 trains, then a cab . But once I determine to do something, I will never give up .     


My daughter wanted me to be home the same day for a family dinner . Well, I woke up at 3 :00 am , have all maps printed and got ready to be a ... gypsy on the road ! LOL 
Why that early when the whole town was still sleeping ? Well, this was the first time I was using the tub (underground transit) by myself , so I was not sure I could hop in and out the tub/train as fast as a Londoner. Better have plenty of time ...

I left London at 5:30 am . It was cold but dry. The Portland Street Station was almost empty and strangely quiet . It was cold, yes, but I felt good . I sat on a bench waiting for the train (?) , nobody around . Isn't romantic ?

Go East 6 stops to London Liverpoll station . Take train to Ipswich Station then swicth to another train to Darsham . 3 hours trip . That was supposed to be . 
  
On a train heading Darsham in the beautiful Suffolk countryside , I was busy taking pictures of myself (selfie)


When the train arrived Darsham Station, somehow I could not open the door . So the train brought me all the way to Norwich (last station) then finally on its way back to London, it dropped me at Darsham . The one way trip cost me 5 hours !!!! 

Arrive Darsham at 10:30 am



[IMG]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a133/hongkhackimmai/d0278cec-af8b-45ec-bc91-589c82449fc6_zpsduimfnw3.jpg[/IMG]




From the train station to the Pub "The Ship At Dunwich" I had to order a cab because no way that I could walk 5 miles away . The taxi brought me into a very narrow road that zigzagged like a serpent and dropped me at an intersection ( taxi fare was GBP 23.00 ). 
[IMG]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a133/hongkhackimmai/71d7d185-81b1-4f3a-8a04-0b62b61fbd77_zpsf3hip9ah.jpg[/IMG]


From that intersection, I could see the Pub 
 [IMG]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a133/hongkhackimmai/a09f2d53-8a6c-4bb1-abbb-966293045561_zpseizyxi95.jpg[/IMG] 

The front side
[IMG]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a133/hongkhackimmai/c0cd73dc-977f-4369-97c6-d1a787e1f0eb_zpsn5vwduxk.jpg[/IMG]

Next door was a museum . A museum told you the history of the place where I was going to explore  
[IMG]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a133/hongkhackimmai/ae0d8c5e-70f8-4eaf-b6d9-7066d649bfad_zpsp6ikv0qo.jpg[/IMG]

Once upon a time there was a village at this location with a busy harbor. Many ships from other countries came here , and merchandise were imported to England, including fig tree . Somehow the coast ravaged this part of the country and the whole village disappeared. The Fig tree survived and is still growing every year . Its true age is FOUR HUNDRED years, not 300 as mentioned somewhere in this forum . The picture in the Internet was outdated . 


I entered the Pub . There were several rustic tables and chairs . A couple were sitting at a corner sipping coffee . They were from France, visiting the area , like me .  I sat down at another corner waiting for services . No one showed up . I stepped inside looking for a waiter . An old guy greeted me at a hall , telling me that everyone was busy in the kitchen and "you are welcome to have a drink in the Pub" . Me drinking at that time of the day ? No way . I asked if I could go to the backyard to see a fig tree. The old man led me to the backyard 

Another sitting area :


[IMG]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a133/hongkhackimmai/e8ee9aa9-033d-4f2e-835f-2aa56f46edda_zpsa7kssl1x.jpg[/IMG]

Into the backyard  
[IMG]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a133/hongkhackimmai/a8421d5d-70a3-4354-9212-d07f12c3491d_zpsxw6qgv6y.jpg[/IMG] .  

There were several picnic tables and chairs outdoors . The whole backyard was not very big as I expected. At a corner on the left side a huge fig tree could be seen next to the back of the building . (I think the place is not only served as a Pub, but also a motel for visitors who want to stay there to go to the beach nearby) . A small fence was built around the Fig tree 

General view :

[IMG]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a133/hongkhackimmai/7e834240-2dea-40b8-b6de-00bc56bc2b8b_zpsjyqb5avf.jpg[/IMG]

On the ground nearby the tree, there were piles of freshly cut branches laying around, stem still green . I asked the man if I could take some . he said "Sure, they will be firewood anyway ..."  . My problem is I dont know how to bring them into the States ... 



A partial trunk on the ground 

[IMG]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a133/hongkhackimmai/df152c4d-e104-4d9b-9d87-f29929ef0086_zpsha0ooxtl.jpg[/IMG]   


Another partial trunk crawling on the ground

[IMG]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a133/hongkhackimmai/06170bf9-f08f-41ea-8a3c-09f0bb2a0e98_zpsv5ykfqop.jpg[/IMG]


The main trunks
[IMG]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a133/hongkhackimmai/eb4e600b-05e2-4c67-91f0-1ae7f87a8f4d_zpsel77xg6y.jpg[/IMG]




[IMG]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a133/hongkhackimmai/8c2590a8-b0ab-4219-acec-d89d80d78973_zps82uxcvxa.jpg[/IMG]


Another angle of the fig tree

[IMG]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a133/hongkhackimmai/54d051cd-f172-4781-8e3e-df13c9dcce8a_zpsjjar3yrk.jpg[/IMG]


After taking some pictures of the Fig tree, i went back to the Pub . Met a young man who worked at the place . He said that the Fig tree was 400 years old not 300 . It did bear fruits but the fruits never get ripen . As he knew, they kept it because it protected the Pub building from the coastal winds and also because it did look good, something that attracts tourists every year . 

I felt so hungry but the waitress said that lunch was not ready until 12:00 noon . I walked around and met several neighbors . Nobody seemed to care about that fig tree because they said that the tree was useless since the fruits were always green and dropped . I thought maybe this fig tree might need a warmer/long summer for the fruits to get ripen . Asking about its variety, the answers were always " Dunno" "Who cares" . 
For me I do care ....
A fellow on FB recently said there was another huge fig tree across the Pub . I walked the whole neighborhood , saw no big fig tree, except one small one (on Blysthburg street)  that bears some breba (s) from a small tree , about 3 years old . It looked like a Brunswick to me .


At 11:30 am, I went back to the Pub, hopefully to have a big meal, but helas , the kitchen was not ready for food yet . 
I decided to call a taxi to bring me somewhere to eat . He driver dropped me off at Darsham Nurseries, not very far from the train station . There I met Kevin (Calvin???) who showed me some fig trees available for sale . They were Brown Turkey, Celeste and Brunswick . Of course I am not interested because I already have all of these varieties at home . I talked with him about the fig tree at TSAD. He said he was there 2 years ago and confirmed that he saw its fruits .

I had a very nice lunch at Darsham Nurseries : Pigeon with burned onions/buckwheat sauce 

[IMG]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a133/hongkhackimmai/4204401a-8de1-48c9-b0dd-d9e3f7c9b802_zpshrueb7hr.jpg[/IMG]

I'm always curious about the history & stories about old fig varieties. One thing on my mind, that are the oldest fig trees and fig varieties, in particular ones from the Near East more specifically Ancient Israel and Northern Europe (France, Britain & Ireland, the Channel Islands). There's something about reconnecting with the past.

My dad's ancestry is from Guernsey, is there any varieties there besides/older the Brown Turkey??
Anyone knowledge about this? Thanks

Hello folks !

Now I can sit down and write more about the trip 

London weather was very nice during the whole time I was there . Not hot, not cold, not wet and not foggy . Just perfect .
My grandkids and I had great time running in Regent Park . It was winter time so all the big trees look same to us . No leaves. Just bare branches and their trunk was very tall . They all were sleeping, we guessed. How to know which one is a fig tree ????
Gardeners were busy replanting rose bushes, so many of them ! In another area, gardeners were busy with loads of tulip bulbs , and we were also busy helping them, so much fun that we forgot about ... fig hunting ! By the time a lady told us that there was a fig tree (a Brown Turkey) near the zoo, my youngest grandson felt tired , he just wanted to go home . Well, Brown Turkey ? We have plenty of them in the US, so it was okay to go home for dinner ..... 

I did see a number of fig friends in London and we exchanged some cuttings . But most of my cuttings were used as gifts to relatives whenever I happened to meet them .  On my way to see a lady who owns a small fig nursery, I got lost for a while , but luckily I found her home before dark. Wow, her back yard was full of fig trees and citrus (I noticed that many UK nurseries carry citrus trees for sale ), all kinds, all sizes, you name it . She has a number of very interesting varieties . They were very reasonably priced and the trees available for sale were in good size  . I especially liked the Chinese yellow fig variety but the lady said that she just got it not long ago. She also had a yellow French type fig . Name of the variety ? Just Yellow French ! 
Of course I wished I could buy all IF I could bring them home  .... Helas !
Liza, her name, drove me to another place where she stored more fig trees . Yes, just figs, nothing else . Her trees were very healthy . I happened to know that she used to own an orchard in Portugal and she knows Mr. Pons well .

One thing that I did learn from Liza is how to make tag plates . I usually bought metal tags on Ebay hopefully they would stay forever. But I was wrong. If it rains hard and consecutively in 2 weeks, the tag got soaked and split apart (manufacturers place a piece of cardboard inside of 2 thin aluminum sheets then press the whole thing together) . Figgyfrank cut metal soft drink cans to make tags (hello Frank !) . This will last an eternity, however the edges are too sharp . Liza's are from plastic milk containers. You just clean the jugs and recycle them by cutting them into the size you want and punch a hole for each tag. This is cheapest, safest and will last forever too . I really like the idea .

An espalier fig tree in London

[IMG]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a133/hongkhackimmai/0b66b809-7453-494d-983c-ce1260b7f333_zpswiu49x3r.jpg[/IMG]

I don't know the variety of this fig tree because the tag did not say much . This tree was 10 years old . When I came , a gardener was pruning the tree . There were a whole bunch of shoots at the base that he cut all off . The wheelbarrow got filled very fast . He welcomed  me to take as many as I could because he would dump everything .  Again, I look at the wheelbarrow and could not move my hand to reach the long cuttings . There was absolutely a battle inside of me . I had to swallow my craving needs and walked away . . .  in pain . The fruits should be good, otherwise why could it stay there for that long . Nobody wants to raise a tree that produces bad taste fruits, isn't true ?     

[IMG]http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a133/hongkhackimmai/17753826-f7f6-4109-9b7d-f9a5a3a52175_zpsvw53aen5.jpg[/IMG]

If you show up at fig trees from November to February anywhere you would be able to get plenty of fig cuttings for free because it is the pruning period . 

I find it hard to believe that someone would plant a fig tree that had bad tasting fruits 400 years ago. More likely, it is as you say, that it needs  a warmer and longer growing season. I have to wonder if 400 years ago they might have had a warmer and longer growing season at that location. Also, there have almost had to have been years which had uncharacteristically warm season and the figs may have ripened.

I any case, to me a cutting of a 400 year old fig tree has great interest. And to think nobody really knows, if grown under the right conditions if the fig is a good tasting fig is almost crazy. We want a fig because it comes from a famous movie, but we don't want one that it took many different peoples lifetimes to protect and keep alive? And we just don't know....

[QUOTE=alanmercieca]Here are places with fig trees in London. I do not have the time to do a full research, yet this should help


[/QUOTE]


Hi Alan,
I appreciate very much your giving me 23 locations of fig trees in the London area.
At first I did plan to visit some of the places but a local resident told me that almost all of them were Brown Turkey, so I felt discouraged a little bit. Secondary it was very hard for a visitor to run around a big city with buses and tubs to reach all the destinations  It would take a whole year to do that !    I am keeping your list and any time I have an opportunity to go to London, I will try one at a time ...

BTW I did find some Greek varieties in London . One is Varzanta/Varsanata tree owned by George A. He gave me a  map and directions how to get to his tree but since I already have that variety at home, I did not go to ... look at the tree actually because I did not have time . The fruit is very large , almost as big as an apple . But I do not know how does it taste . My tree is bearing some figlets now, maybe I will have a chance to taste the fruit in summer time . I am growing 2 types side by side in pots , so I will observe the difference between Varsana and Varsanata if they happen to be different varieties or ???

One of my air layers

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Close up

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There is a Cyprus type of fig in the Heathrow airport area. The tree was quite big and accordingly to the owner , the fruit is one of the largest fig in the world (?) . She said that her grandmother brought a cutting from Cyprus long time ago. Taste ? I dunno  . Hope they should be good, otherwise why they brought with them something that was not worth to grow ? I believe this one is the same as the Varzanta  
 

There is another fig tree nearby, Nero de Terlizzi, brought into UK by a Greek immigrant as a cutting . But the owner said the mother tree was originally from Italy . The fruits bear a shape of an eggplant (hello Grant of S Carolina !) . I have no idea so far, but there is a link about something similar :

http://figs4funforum.websitetoolbox.com/post/Nero-Di-Terlizzi-6102572

This was how the owner described her Nero de Terlizzi ;

They are Italian origin 

The way she described sound like same as Varzanta also !!!! Headache ! I better plant all of them side by side so I will have a chance to compare ! truly headache ...   




  These pictures belong to George A. of UK . The Varzanta fruit is in the middle . The other 2 are Brown Turkey

 

George A. instructions to his tree location :

....the nearest tube station is 7 sisters then walk upstairs ...........................street once you are out cross over the street to lidl superstore and turn right ....... street walk about 50 meters and turn left then right and it will lead you to ........ road .....corner house with garage. please text me what time you are coming george 07.....06 house number 02.....192

----------------------


In London somewhere by the Thames River there is a fig tree named Chelsea .I did not have a chance to go there, but Chelsea fig trees can be bought at Thompson-Morgan  nursery .
My daughter got one and the Chelsea tree is planted in her backyard in 15 G pot size (Central London) . 

   http://www.thompson-morgan.com/fruit/fruit-trees/fig-trees/fig-chelsea-standard/t56489TM

Hi Mai,

I've been reading your fig journey in London with interest, as I work here, firstly thank you for sharing so many interesting photos from your journey, especially from the old pub up in suffolk.
From your last post, the Chelsea fig is growing at the intersection of the A3212 (Grosvenor road) and Chelsea Bridge Road (A3216). Its next to the river west of the bridge, I tried going there armed with my secaueurs one lunchtime whist at work, but the gate that leads to the river path was locked, there is a danger sign saying do not enter.
This google maps link shows the gate location:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.4856557,-0.1505906,3a,71.2y,188.63h,65.63t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sv0X1yxfMvLlBxjw6wqkYUw!2e0!7i1 3312!8i6656

the tree is visible from the bridge:
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.4853247,-0.1499496,3a,15.9y,284.01h,86.92t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sHCVVyz6t4sb8-9PgzUNdKw!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

All the best,
Steve

Hi Steve,
Thank you for the info on the Chelsea fig tree by the Thames River .. Thompson-Morgan is selling the tree very cheap . I hope that my tree (in London) will bear fruits the coming summer .   

How about this one ?
Don't forget to erase this one .

[QUOTE=ukfigsteve]Hi Mai,

I've been reading your fig journey in London with interest, as I work here ...


[/QUOTE]

Hi Steve,
 You work in London or at the Ship of Dunwich ?

Someone said that nearby the Ship Of Dunwich there is another fig tree but I did walk around the neighborhood and found no big fig tree at all ! Maybe I walked in the wrong direction ? 

Last Thanksgiving I happened to buy a 10 yo fig tree and the previous owner wanted me to dig all the roots out . I threw away a lot of roots, but still keep some for observation .
To my surprise recently one root shoots out a fig plant ! So I think of the fig at TSOD . If it has been there for 400 years or more or less (nobody knows exactely the number), its roots would crawl all over the places for miles and might end up shooting up some fig trees in the area  ????  

[QUOTE=Blackfoot]I find it hard to believe that someone would plant a fig tree that had bad tasting fruits 400 years ago. More likely, it is as you say, that it needs  a warmer and longer growing season. ...[/QUOTE]

That is my guess . Actually nobody knows for sure about its true age and nobody has any idea why the fruit did not ripen . 
The museum next door has some info regarding the harbor that used to be there and some items left after the coast wiped out the whole village .


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[QUOTE=Blackfoot]
I any case, to me a cutting of a 400 year old fig tree has great interest. And to think nobody really knows, if grown under the right conditions if the fig is a good tasting fig is almost crazy. We want a fig because it comes from a famous movie, but we don't want one that it took many different peoples lifetimes to protect and keep alive? And we just don't know....[/QUOTE]



There was a pile of branches nearby the tree. I guess (!) that the pub would welcome anyone to come and take these branches away so they do not have to burn or dump them hehehe  
I broke some of the branches, the inside was still green .... 


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Hi Mai,

I work in London, not at the pub you visited :-)

I'm always keeping my eye open for fig trees here, but I recon most of them that you would find in peoples gardens or parks (and probably the older trees) are likely to be ones which will ripen the breba crop here, i.e. brown turkey, Brunswick, White Marseilles etc

The only exception, like you said earlier is people from warmer countries bringing scion wood of local varieties from the Mediterranean region etc, but it's not easy to identify varieties,

best regards
Steve

[QUOTE=ukfigsteve]Hi Mai,

The only exception, like you said earlier is people from warmer countries bringing scion wood of local varieties from the Mediterranean region etc, but it's not easy to identify varieties,

Steve[/QUOTE]


Oh, you are a Londoner ! and you are probably a fig collector ? 
Did you ever try to grow a piece of that Dunwich fig tree in order to identify its variety  ?
By the time I was there, young shoots were everywhere in the back yard . Since the tree was so so so big, it is very hard for the pub to keep pruning it in a regular basis  .
 

Hi Mai,

I'm afraid I can't help you with the identity of the Dunwich tree, I work in London but live in a small town called Chelmsford, i've never been up to the pub to see the tree. If I ever do, i will have secateurs with me to take some cuttings :-)

There's a photo of the tree in leaf here: (click to zoom in)
https://www.flickr.com/photos/14919622@N02/4696432708

Maybe an experienced figger could make a guess at the cultivar?, I see a few three node leaves, so it's probably not a brown turkey, and you said earlier that the figs don't ripen, so I assume a unifere late ripening variety?

Steve

Thanks, Steve for the link . Through it, I read some info saying that the picture was taken in June 2010 . From that date to the present time, it is less than 6 years.
If you look back the pictures that I have posted before, you can see a huge difference in growth and in size between the fig tree in the link (1) and the one I saw recently (2). Especially number 1 does not have this part

  

Not only one but a few trunks like that around the base of the tree. How in 6 years, can additional fallen trunks grow with so many nods (bumps) exactly like the ones of the  main trunk  ???? Is that something strange ?

[QUOTE=lolita1234]

Grant,
Thank you for the picture that you just posted 


I will look for an old fig tree in Europe and sit under its branches ( no foliage at this time of the year) to pray . Yes, the truth will set me free ... and NOTHING can make me tremble 

[/QUOTE]





In forums, I just joked around about fig hunting (because people in these forums are just interested about figs, nothing else) but deep down in my heart, my trip to Europe was seriously a pilgrimage to pray for the return of someone important to my life who was kidnapped ...



The owner of this hat is somewhere but his spirit is here with me  .
It looks like the hat is in a giant palm of the fig God...
May God bless us !




"Oh my gosh Mai. That old fig looks like an ancient Ganesha god still living on this earth.  A remover of obstacles.   Jodi"

Yes, Jodi . I believe in divinity as I have said many times before . You can LOL about my superstition , but I do believe that all trees (that survive over 100 years on earth) have their God.

Yes, Jodi, I did sit under that tree, and most importantly I DID HUG THAT FIG TREE of the Ship at Dunwich

Hugging a 400 year old tree ? yes, maybe I am the only one who did that so far ...
I honor it and  I respect all the old trees .

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Can someone identify its variety by chance, or too early ?

Too early Mai.but my guess is that what ever it is it is going to love all the heat and sunshine in Texas, you may be the first one to eat a ripe fig from that 400 year old tree!

Great thread!  Wonderful explorations!