Vine & groundcover · North Texas care guide
Ficus pumila
Nursery Pro tip: Tiny evergreen leaves that hug brick and stone like wallpaper. Protect in hard freezes.
Creeping fig — a fine evergreen vine with small leathery leaves that presses itself flat against a wall in a tight green sheet. The classic look on stucco courtyards and garden walls, and it climbs 20–40 ft by clinging.
Part shade to shade, protected from north wind and hot afternoon sun. Well-drained soil at the base. Masonry only — it clings hard and damages wood and paint.
Spring, so it has the whole warm season. Hole twice the pot width, ball at grade, native soil with compost, Root Stimulator, mulch.
Twice a week the first summer, weekly after — it's less drought tolerant than the other vines here.
Light spring feeding.
Shear it flat two or three times a season; it's the trimming that keeps the juvenile small-leaf look. Untrimmed, mature stems produce big coarse leaves that stand out from the wall.
Freeze damage — a hard winter can burn it to the ground in an exposed spot, though it usually returns from the roots. Scale occasionally. Removing it later leaves stubborn holdfasts on the wall.
Courtyard walls, shaded garden walls and planters. With Japanese maple, holly fern and mondo grass beneath.
Written for Rockwall's black clay, heat and winters by the Landscape Source team. Every yard is different — bring a photo by, or ask LS-Ai, and we'll tailor it to your spot.