Thursday's Plant -- Citrus trees

'Meyer' lemon Kaffir lime Satsuma orange

Citrus trees

Customers looking for patio or deck plants should be steered toward dwarf citrus trees. Just look at the advantages:
* Citrus is currently a popular color and flavor with consumers.
* Citrus on dwarf rootstock is easy to keep at a manageable size.
* Citrus flowers are beautiful and fragrant.
* Citrus is easy to care for, even in cold regions if brought indoors during winter.
* Consumers can produce their own fruit; many citrus varieties available at nurseries are superior to those found in produce aisles.
Dwarf citrus is well suited to large container plantings and prefers moist, well-draining potting soils and sunny locations. While some can take temperatures well below 30F, as a general rule, it is best to move them indoors to a well-lit room when the temperature drops below freezing. Containers 20 gallons or larger are generally recommended. Many dwarf trees stay under 6 feet tall naturally, but they can be pruned after fruiting if they become too tall for their indoor locations.
The basic citrus fruits are popular, including oranges, limes and lemons, but customers with more exotic tastes may be interested in grapefruit, tangelo, kumquat and limequat.
Here are three readily available citrus varieties.
'Meyer' lemon
Citrus limon 'Meyer' is an ancient variety with unknown genealogy, though it is probably a cross between a sour orange and a lemon. Fruit is tart, but not as tart as most commercial lemon varieties.
Don Dillon Jr., manager of Four Winds Nursery in Fremont, Calif., said 'Meyer' can flower or fruit throughout the year, but generally blooms heaviest in winter and fruits in late winter.
Margot Gunn, tropical plant buyer for Great Big Greenhouse and Nursery in Richmond, Va., said 'Meyer' lemons are the fastest-selling citrus varieties she carries.
Kaffir lime
C. hystrix is a lime variety that is becoming more popular, especially with herbalists, Dillon said. The leaves of this tree have a wavy shape and are commonly chopped and used in Thai cooking. Leaves are aromatic and have a fragrance similar to lemon grass. Fruit is sour and the tree can bear at any time of the year, though it blooms heaviest in spring. Fruit matures and ripens in about one year.
Satsuma orange
C. reticulata is one of the more popular orange varieties. Fruit is highly flavorful, easy to peel, almost seedless and the size of a tennis ball or smaller.
The tree's peak bloom period lasts for about one month (mid-March to mid-April) and flowers are heavily fragrant. Satsuma oranges are also highly pest and disease resistant and normally need no pesticide.
They are hardy and only need cold protection when temperatures drop below 26F.
For more: Don Dillon Jr., Four Winds Nursery, 42186 Palm Ave., Fremont, CA 94539; (510) 656-2591; fax (510) 656-1360. Margot Gunn, Great Big Greenhouse and Nursery, 7139 Forest Hill Ave., Richmond, VA 23225; (804) 320-1317; fax (804) 323-6247.

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