Many times. A Ficus pumila grows over our two concrete water tanks. It does a great job of hiding them but every year it needs a radical trimming back so it gets about four days worth of focus attention. We were given a bonsai Ficus benghalensis as a weeding gift. We planted it down by the dam (pond). It took ages to realise that it was no longer a bonsai but now it thrives and gives us magnificent shade. Now that it's well established, I prune it to encourage an Ikebana-like shape. A central trunk rises vertical before spreading into a canopy. A secondary trunk leans diagonally, looks like it's dancing. The third balances the weight and grows from above the head out horizontally - great place to hang towels and clothes when swimming. We have several of the edible species, Ficus carica, in the orchard. Our favourites are the Brown Turkey and Black Genoa for fragrance, juicy pulp and sweetness. They take a fair bit of care - white oil to kill the insects, mulching, pruning to keep an open well-aerated shape to prevent moulds, and netting of our share of the fruit to protect it from fruit-bats and parrots.
This post was edited by inky at May 4, 2019 7:46 PM MDT
Sorry, Stu. Didn't mean to annoy you or anyone else. The Post Reply tag seemed not to respond so I pressed it till I got a result. Didn't realise that it had posted thrice til I saw your message. Have corrected it.