Illustrated young children's book about a chef who buys a little bush, thinking he'll grow figs, but it turns out it's a Pig tree. After many shenanigans and difficulties, he replaces his bush with what he thinks is a proper fig tree bush. . . however it looks at the end like it's gonna be a frog tree! I was a child in the 1970s and guess the book dates from early 70s, but could be mid 70s, or possibly late 60s. The book was probably written for age range 4-7. My searches on Google/Amazon/eBay for "The Pig Tree" or "The Fig Tree" - the titles my memory has provided - haven't found the right book.
I just remembered another detail – the book ends when the frustrated chef finally gets a new little tree… But this one looks from its budding leaves like it’s not figs either… It’s going to grow up to be a fROg tree…
The Fig Tale by Tony Johnston?
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/tony-johnston-3/fig-tale/
Wow, thank you Jackie – That is the one. I didn’t check this thread for months!