{"product_id":"ficus-benghalensis-audrey","title":"Audrey Banyan Fig - Ficus benghalensis ‘Audrey’","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrice includes everything:\u003c\/strong\u003e the plant, free delivery and professional installation by our planting team. One price, whole job done.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eAudrey Banyan Fig - Ficus benghalensis ‘Audrey’\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe banyan fig is one of the great shade trees of the tropics, and ‘Audrey’ is the selection grown for its broad, softly velvety leaves with pale, clearly marked veins. \u003cem\u003eFicus benghalensis\u003c\/em\u003e builds a wide, low-branching canopy and, in humid climates, drops aerial roots that thicken into secondary trunks so that a single tree eventually behaves like a grove. That is exactly why siting matters more here than with almost any other tree on this list: it is a magnificent plant on acreage, in a park or in a large atrium, and a serious mistake within 15m of a house, pool, pipe run or driveway.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eWhy the Audrey Banyan\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eVelvet Foliage\u003c\/strong\u003e: Large, matt green leaves with prominent cream veins and a soft texture, quite different from the glossy rubber figs.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpreading Canopy\u003c\/strong\u003e: It branches low and wide, throwing genuinely deep shade over a large footprint.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAerial Roots\u003c\/strong\u003e: In humid conditions curtains of aerial roots descend and thicken into props, creating the classic banyan character.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFast Establishment\u003c\/strong\u003e: It moves quickly once its roots are into warm soil, making scale in a few seasons rather than decades.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAggressive Root System\u003c\/strong\u003e: The roots are invasive and long ranging; allow at least 15 to 20m clearance from buildings, paving, drains and pools, or grow it confined in a large container.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eIdeal Applications\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eAcreage Shade Tree\u003c\/strong\u003e: Standing alone in a paddock or large lawn where it has unrestricted room.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eParkland and Estate Planting\u003c\/strong\u003e: Its scale suits civic and large private landscapes designed around a single dominant tree.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTropical Statement Planting\u003c\/strong\u003e: A centrepiece in a resort-style garden with generous space around it.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLarge Container or Atrium\u003c\/strong\u003e: Root restriction in a pot holds it at a manageable indoor or courtyard size.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eSpecimen \u0026amp; Installation\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing (screening\/hedge):\u003c\/strong\u003e 12 to 15m if planted as a canopy line; it is not a hedging plant\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing (feature\/avenue):\u003c\/strong\u003e 20m or more\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBest Planting Season:\u003c\/strong\u003e Spring to early autumn while soil is warm\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSoil \u0026amp; Drainage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Adaptable to most free draining soils; it prefers deep loam but will grow in sand and clay loam alike\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEstablishment Care:\u003c\/strong\u003e Water deeply twice weekly through the first two summers, then reduce as growth accelerates, since it becomes quite drought tolerant with age. Mulch a wide ring clear of the trunk, and plan the position around mature root spread rather than the size of the tree on delivery day.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003ePlant Details\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 10 to 20m in Australian gardens, larger over long periods in the tropics\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWidth:\u003c\/strong\u003e 10 to 20m or more\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGrowth Rate:\u003c\/strong\u003e Fast\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFoliage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Evergreen\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLight:\u003c\/strong\u003e Full sun, tolerates part shade when young\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNative to:\u003c\/strong\u003e The Indian subcontinent\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlower Colour:\u003c\/strong\u003e Insignificant, followed by small red figs\n\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nursery Direct","offers":[{"title":"90L","offer_id":59795284787486,"sku":"ND-0757-90L","price":830.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"100L","offer_id":59795284820254,"sku":"ND-0757-100L","price":875.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true},{"title":"200L","offer_id":59795284853022,"sku":"ND-0757-200L","price":2300.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1000\/2536\/8862\/files\/tdb9M9YSP5VFPbnp2EhRF_KpSzzWgG.jpg?v=1787312604","url":"https:\/\/nurserydirect.com.au\/products\/ficus-benghalensis-audrey","provider":"Nursery Direct","version":"1.0","type":"link"}