Fig Tree Madeleine des Deux Saisons - Ficus carica

The Madeleine des Deux Saisons Fig Tree is a particularly interesting cultivar for its double harvest, first at the end of June or beginning of July, and then in September-October. It produces medium-sized figs with pink, juicy flesh, under a robe that starts off green and then turns golden when ripe. This beautiful tree has been grown in Mediterranean regions for a very long time, where it has become an emblem and has been cultivated for millennia. However, it can also tolerate less favourable climates, as long as it is grown in full sun, sheltered from cold winds, in fertile, light, and well-draining soil.

The Madeleine des Deux Saisons Fig Tree belongs to the Moraceae family. It is a selection of Ficus carica, the common fig tree, originally from Turkey and Asia Minor, and then imported all around the Mediterranean for fruit harvesting. This cultivar is a deciduous, vigorous, rounded and erect small tree, often with a twisted trunk, reaching 3 to 5 metres (10 to 16 feet) in all directions. This variety is resistant to cold and parthenocarpic (fruit produced without fertilisation), so it does not require the intervention of the fig wasp, the sole pollinating insect of the fig tree, which is too sensitive to cold to survive in a cold climate.

It is a biferous variety (producing two fruiting seasons per year), very early, adapted to many regions, even outside the Mediterranean area. The fruiting appears on one-year-old wood for the fig-flowers (100 to 120g), fleshy and of a good size, which can be harvested as early as June-July, and on the current year's branches for the autumn figs (70-80g), rounder and slightly smaller, from mid-August to October depending on the region. The figs are green and turn golden when ripe, pear-shaped and fleshy for the summer figs, and more rounded for the autumn figs.  The leaves are rough, bright green turning yellow in autumn, finely hairy, relatively large (sometimes 20 cm (8in) long) and have a long petiole. The lamina is deeply divided into three to seven lobes with crenate edges (most often five) of variable shape, with a velvety underside and prominent veins. The wood is soft and spongy, the bark is grey and smooth. The root system of this small tree is strong, spreading in all directions.

The figs should be harvested several times, as they should be picked as they ripen and consumed fairly quickly. They have a short shelf life, even in the refrigerator (which kills the flavour), where the skin can suffer from humidity and condensation. The best way to consume them is fresh, at the table, and to enjoy them under the tree, which will preserve their honey-like aroma.

The fig tree enchants with the beauty of its branches and the quality of its fruits. It is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful fruit trees, with its dark green foliage, the shape and size of its leaves also making it a wonderful haven of freshness during the summer heat. Plant it sheltered by a wall that will protect it from the cold during harsh winters, with a south or southwest exposure, alongside the Pomegranate tree, the White Mulberry, and the Japanese Medlar in mild climates. In cooler regions, it can be associated with the Quince tree, the Akebia quinata, and the Feijoa, which are also hardy and exotic. Take into account its adult size when determining the distance at which you will plant it. Although the roots do not cause damage to modern constructions, they can cause damage to dry stone walls or walls made with weak mortar, in the old-fashioned way.