by taffyman » Tue Jul 06, 2010 7:09 pm
Hi Delilah.
Not Killing them.---------- Ficus
Quick(ish!) results.--------Ficus
Best are Australian Ficus species - in particular ones that are native (or sort of) to your area.
Most suitable species would be Port Jackson (Ficus Rubiginosa) and Queensland Small Leaf (Ficus Eugenoides and Ficus Obliqua). The more you feed them, the quicker they will grow.
Another very good one is Ficus Microcarpa var: Green Island - grows pretty quick and looks good.
All the above strike very readily from cuttings.
I would advise against the stuff you can get from the B - store and most garden nurseries. They are generally Ficus Benjamina species (not a native) - and there are literally hundreds of cultivars of the things. They aren't as 'forgiving' as the other three above and require a lot more work to get them to look anything near decent - and prone to discarding all low growing foliage and branches (especially if they are stressed at all).
If you're interested, try and get hold of someone from your council parks and gardens. They may have seedlings or cuttings in their nurseries. Another good source is if you look around your area and see figs growing in someone's garden or something, and ask if you can have a few cuttings.
Failing those options, you could try your local garden nurseries - they may have some. If all else fails - and you're prepared to wait a few months (because it's too cold to take cuttings at the moment, send me a pm and I'll be happy to do some cuttings and 'root them up' for you - of all three species if you'd like them.
Another option - although not a native (and some cultivars are declared noxious weeds in some states) is small leave privet (Ligustrum Ovalifolia). Again, if you have a look around your area, you may see hedges of it in someone's garden. These also strike readily from cuttings.
Hope this goes some way to answering your questions.
Taffy
Have fun, life is way too short for anything else