Johnnycc's member page says he lives in Canada so he must've come by the Ozarks forum when searching for Mandevilla.
I've wondered about figs in the Ozarks too. A lady that lives not too far from me had one growing on the south side of her house. It looked like it had been there for awhile but I don't know if she gets any fruit.

Did you know there's a fig forum? I hadn't noticed it before. It's surprisingly active.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fig Forum

Thanks Christie, I didn't recognize him but thought he was new. My sister had a fig in CA. It was a small tree and was loaded. The trouble is I wouldn't eat enough of the fruit to warrant having it. I have read of people planting them in a whiskey barrel or something big, keeping them small and giving protection in winter. There are kinds that are almost hardy here.

There is one called Chicago Hardy so I do think there must be some that would do ok in the ground here. I don't know if they're the type that tastes good though. Wish I had a good spot on the south side of my house to try one. The only figs I've ever tasted were dried.
Try searching for hardy fig.

I have a Brown Turkey fig in the ground been there for almost twenty years. I'm z 6B. I get a crop only about every third year. Occasionally the whole plant freezes to the ground, but more often the blossoms or fruit get killed by a late freeze. I bought a new one and plan to put it in a large container and keep it in the greenhouse over winter. The fruit is delicious, less sweet than when dried of course.

Thanks mulberry.