Make sure you get a fig tree that is self-fertilizing. Some require a specific type of wasp to polinate them. I think the variety you want is a 'Brown Turkey', but double check with your garden center first.

Be happy you are not on the north side. Got to the Downtown library and read up on which of the 850 types of fig trees grows in a vaguely similar climate to Seattle. Then read up on climate control. You will need to control the humidity and temperature. Of course water according to research. It is possible yet expensive. You might want to try and meet a botanist. Good Luck

I had some neighbors growing up who put paper bags on one of their trees every year. We thought it was a tradition of some sort (they were Chinese, if I recall). Then, five years later they brought over some figs. Turns out, they put bags on the ripening figs so that the crows would not eat them.

So, I guess my second-hand tip is to cover the figs with paper bags if you don't want crows to eat them.

A huge pot would work. They like it wet but need drainage-this could be a problem if you ignore the pot and its water needs, but not if you're good with this type of gardening.

For the best fruit: Fertilize annually (With a lower N fertilizer), and let the fruit ripen on the tree until it looks like it's going to fall off. Wrap each fig with paper or mesh to keep the squirrels, rats and birds off.

Fun late-summer recipe: Split figs in half lengthwise, grill on a charcoal fire until cooked through, let cool a bit and stuff with soft blue cheese.

Figs grow well in the Puget Sound area and are probably the easiest fruit tree to prune- you can really hack it up bad and they come right back.

I have a fig tree in a large pot next to my patio in my backyard. It doesn't exactly produce huge amounts of fruit (or huge fruit), but it bears a few fruit per year, and I don't try very hard (I got it from a friend who had to move).

If you like figs, I'd try it, use the largest pot possible, and use fertilizer at least once a year.

My only big piece of advice is to settle on a pot and a place and then don't move it. Figs (and ficus in general) do not like to be disturbed. Every time I move any of my ficus more than a foot or two, they drop all their leaves. They recover, but that's not a recipe for getting a good crop of fruit.

a few thoughts. first, be cautious of what you find on the internet - as with anything, there's a lot of unreliable info out there. that said, it really depends on what you're trying to accomplish with your pruning. if you prune just before budbreak as chef robin suggested, the overall effect will be to encourage the remaining limbs by giving them more access to nutrients and water. you can do that to invigorate existing limbs, and you will influence the future growth pattern of the tree in the process. on the other hand, if you want to inhibit growth and keep the tree at its present size, you'd want to do that just after the plant completes its major yearly growth (ie. probably around september).

pruning before budbreak will redirect the growth of the limbs that you prune. if you cut off the end of a branch, it will grow more lateral stems and become more bushy. to do that, you should make your pruning cuts just above budding points or just above the emergence points of lateral stems. if you cut off the lateral stems, the branch will become more long and spindly. generally, don't remove more than about 25-30% max of the canopy in one go or you'll end up stressing the tree by creating an imbalance between shoot and root biomass.

i hope that helps. if you want to get heavy into this, i'd highly recommend the book Arboriculture by harris, clark, and matheny. it's a textbook quality resource, but written in a very accessible manner. good luck.

Now is not a good time. If you can wait until the leaves are gone, you'll have a much better chance of success.

The secret is to save the root ball. Get a big-ass tarp, and dig the tree out so the root ball is approximately the same size as the branch canopy. There are root ball charts all over the internet; google 'em. Get your big strong buddies to help you, and lift the dug-out tree onto the tarp. Then use the tarp to load it onto your truck. It will be HEAVY.

When you get to the other end, dig your hole big enough for quite a bit of room all around the root ball, but not too deep -- the top of the root ball, where it turns into the trunk of the tree, should be about level with the surrounding ground, or a little higher. The reason you dig out more hole than you need is so the dirt will be loose around the root ball, and the cut-off root capillaries will be able to reestablish themselves.

Water well, then mulch -- heap leaves or bark or something up around the base of the tree, but not too high -- not onto the trunk. Then hope.

You don't want to move the tree while it's active if you can possibly help it -- leaves and fruit are very active!

I've had great luck with photinia. They'll grow a hell of a lot bigger than that, but they're easily pruned.

I planted 3 10-gallon photinia in my back garden to screen off a noisy and annoying neighbor on the other side. The 3 plants have grown into a 12-foot bushy hedge which helps with both visual and noise pollution. I have completely ignored them. I don't even water them. They've grown like weeds, and the birds really like them.

Pyramidalis is another good privacy screen evergreen. Five for $100 at most nurseries, they're hardy and pretty fast-growing.

I was going to recommend privett hedge. They grow as tall as you let them, and they make a pretty good screen as well.
But it starts as just a sprague or two that get's planted and will start to sprout from there. Just don't mow them off, or assume that they're dead too quick.

You can try cuttings on your own, but we bought 40 fromsomething like "Michigan Bulb Company" for like 50 cents a piece, but three or four died, and when we complained, they were excellent about sending us immediate replacements that all took off and have been indistinguishable from the rest of the originals.

Might take a few years to get to your height requirements.

Bamboo, but plant it in boxes or pots, as it will spread like crazy.

i see lots of chain link fences with laurels as screens. laurels will grow fast and get just about as tall as you let them get. they'll take over the world if you're not careful.