Just to warn you. Fig trees are thugs and will take over the planet if they can. 
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You could also try the plant fair at St. Junien next weekend. Lots of nurseries selling plants anx some unusual varieties too
Its at the salle de congress, go early for best selection.
Yes we might go to the plant fair. Weāre also looking to buy some climbers. Our bungalow faces west at the back with a long wide patio area which of course gets too hot in the summer. At the moment weāre dĆ©pendant for shade on an old conifer thatās seen better days. So the plan is to build a pergola and put in some fast growing climbers that can withstand the heat. Top of the list is a Japanese or Chinese wisteria, then maybe the potatoe vine or the evergreen jasmine. Anyone any favourites
I grew potato vines in England which did really well.
Iām growing two here in Charente and they are growing well at all.
Wisteriaā¦ we have it along the house. Shading the ground floor windows in the summer but letting the light in in winter.
Also good for scent - trachelospermum jasminoides. Evergreen and reasonably fast growing.
For both you will need a sturdy pergola construction. And be prepared to prune the wisteria at least twice a year. Ours is very well established and a complete thug. Without pruning I could not see the house.
I have had to wage war on our wisteria this year as it had seaded everywhere, it is a thug of a plant.
StĆ©phane Marieās favourite!
If you decide on this one (itās relatively slow growing and evergreen so a āgood-doerā) I strongly suggest you sniff a sample first. In my last garden I was favouring scented plants and grew that one, only to find that the strong perfume actually made me feel sick and gave me headaches 
Itās the only plant I know to have that effect on me!
We have always grown Brown Turkey and the figs are excellent. I do a pudding with layers of figs with Greek yoghurt and dark brown sugar. It needs leaving in the fridge for 24 hours for the sugar to drip through the layers. 
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Thereās couille du pape which is a purple fig but worth growing if only for the name and its snigger worthiness 
Iāve added Figuier Violette de SolliĆØs and brown turkey to our list so weāll keep on looking until we find a decent plant. Weāve bought too many plants without checking the variety first very carefully. For instance until 6 months ago we didnāt realise there are three very distinct types of wisteria. The fastest is the Chinese then the Japanese and then a really slow one is the American. So the Chinese one must be the thug. Weāve also had mixed success with the potatoe vine but it can be a really good climber.
I have three very mature fig trees, all purply/reddish variety - two of the trees are giving figs at the moment, but one of the trees has fatter, more purple coloured figs that are ready about a month or so earlier. Theyāre also sweeter and are by far the best. My neighbour says itās le figuier rouge de Bordeaux.
Porridge - Iāve tired freezing figs, but they really donāt taste the same at all. Canāt say I liked them.
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Figs are excellent dried. We have a Lidl dryer and use it for apples and plums; it all goes in the home-made muesli. My favourite barbecue is duck breast cubes on a skewer with dried figs soaked in armagnac.
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We finally bought and planted a very vigorous looking little fig tree rouge de Bordeaux for just 20 euros. So thanks for the very interesting advice/information
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