This fig tree came to my garden as a rooted cutting, a gift from a friend. It was about ten inches high in a small black pot. I found a place for it in the corner of my veggie garden. Little did I know that the compost bin next to it would seep out nutrition for it and turn it into a seven foot tree in just a few years.

This year it had 52 figs on it, and after I picked them, the branches loaded up again with a second crop. I think it’s one of the few plants in my garden that really likes me.

I live on Vancouver Island – not in the Mediterranean or western Asia where they originated – but my fig tree grew happily anyway.

Thank heaven, the Mediterranean fig trees had leaves that were supposedly perfect for covering the private parts of those famous ancient naked sculptures. Fig leaves must have seen a lot of use, as there are so many sculptures made in the old civilizations.

So now I know the answer to something I’ve questioned all these years. Why did the old masters make so many of their sculptures naked? The answer is of course, they had a lot of fig leaves available.