Unfortunately, the original Meyer Lemon Trees were found to be susceptible to a devastating virus called Citrus Tristeza and eventually became symptomless carriers of the said virus, which infected and killed millions of citrus trees across the United States and all over the world. Because of this, most Meyer lemon trees have to be destroyed. A surviving and virus-free Meyer lemon tree was then discovered by Don Dillon in 1950 and was later certified and released by the University of California as the Improved Meyer Lemon Tree in 1975.

The Improved Meyer Lemon Tree is cold hardy and best grows in US Department of Agriculture USDA hardiness zones 8 to 11. It is fairly vigorous, shrubby, and somewhat small in size upon reaching maturity standard Meyer lemon trees can grow as tall as 6 to 10 while the dwarf lemon tree can grow up to 4 to 6 in height.

This lemon tree variety has a spreading habit and is nearly thornless making it a great citrus tree to plant if you have kids, be it indoors or outdoors. This citrus tree blooms purple-tinted flowers all year round but blooms are more concentrated in spring or fall. The fragrant blooms then turn to medium-sized, orange-yellow, juicy sweet-tart lemons that are in season in fall/spring.

The post Improved Meyer Lemon Tree appeared first on Yarden.

The skin is slightly dimpled and fairly easy to peel, making the Murcott Honey Tangerine fine for eating out of hand. Murcotts can contain some seeds, and other tangerines may be a bit easier to peel, but the Murcott is a great choice if you want both a good eating tangerine, and one that is great for juicing.

Murcotts (or Honey Tangerines) stand out for their abundant amount of juice, their dark orange skin, bright red-orange juice, and refreshing sweet flavor.

The post Murcott Honey Tangerine Tree appeared first on Yarden.

This lemon tree is a slow-growing, evergreen citrus tree with long, glossy leaves. When planted outdoors in USDA plant hardiness zones 8 to 11, the Ponderosa Lemon Tree can grow as tall as 24 feet. The tree can be kept smaller when planted in a pot indoors. Both the standard and dwarf Ponderosa Lemon Tree have a rounded top and medium-thick branches full of spines.

Like most lemon or lime trees, Ponderosa lemon trees are cold sensitive and frost tender when grown in areas colder than USDA planting zone 8. While potted trees can grow to fruit-bearing ages in colder areas, they need additional light during the cold season and protection from freezing by overwintering indoors.

These lemon citrus trees are often grown as ornamental plants for their beautiful white and purple-tinged flowers that grow simultaneously among yellow fruits and dark green leaves. Moreover, since the fruits and blooms are produced at the same time, you will be mesmerized by the sublime scent of the flowers mixed with the sweet scent of the lemons. This combination is rarely found in other fruit trees. Also, Ponderosa lemons can be kept on the tree for months without deteriorating and losing fruit quality.

The post Ponderosa Lemon Tree appeared first on Yarden.

The trees have dark green, shiny leaves and produce white blooms that are fragrant and self-fertile. The fruit is medium-sized, easy to peel, and contains a few seeds. The flesh is most often eaten out of hand, or can be used for juices, salads, and marinades. The flavor of the Ponkan Mandarin is a combination of sweet and tart. Mandarin juice can be added to other orange or fruit juices to give them an additional tangy flavor.

The post Ponkan Mandarin Tree appeared first on Yarden.

One of the most popular tangelo trees released is the fabulous Minneola Tangelo Tree, which was released by the USDA Horticultural Research Station in Orland in 1931. This tangelo tree grows bushy and small, about 8 to 12 in height when planted in the ground and smaller when grown in a pot. This fruit tree has a rounded growth habit, shiny dark-green pointed leaves and fragrant blooms. The white flowers appear in spring making it a wonderful container subject or an accent tree. For the tree to reach its optimal size, it is best grown in USDA growing zones 8-11. If grown in other regions of the US, it can be planted in a container and brought indoors during winter.

The Minneola Tangelo Trees produce large, juicy, sugary-sweet, easy-to-peel, seedless bell-shaped fruits that are called Honeybells. Because of its large size – bigger than an orange and slightly smaller than a grapefruit – and refreshing flavor that is very similar to a tangerine but is more substantial and more flavorful, honeybell has made a name in the gift fruit industry. Honeybells are in season in spring and are typically pre-ordered online and rarely available in stores.

The post Minneola Tangelo (Honeybell) Tree appeared first on Yarden.

Calamondins can be grown in the ground in USDA Zones 8 – 11, or in a container on a patio or indoors if you are in USDA Zones 4 – 11. Calamondin Trees reach a size of 6 to 8 feet when grown in the ground in a sunny location and within their ideal growing zones. Container-grown Calamondins grow to about 4 to 6 feet in height.

Calamansi Trees are represent good luck for the Chinese New Year!

The post Calamondin (Calamansi) Tree appeared first on Yarden.

Kaffir lime trees are evergreen trees that reach 5-10 ft in height when fully grown and grows best in USDA growing zones 8-11. Although they can be grown in-ground outdoors, these citrus trees flourish in potted environments in a container with satisfactory drainage.

The Kaffir lime tree has a distinctive double-lobed, glossy, deep green leaves that look like two leaves joined together and with one growing at the tip of the other. These leaves are the most used part of the Kaffir lime tree and are typically used for flavoring Asian dishes like soups, curries, salads, fish, and other stir-fried dishes. When you crush the leaves of this fruit tree, fragrant oils that emit an exquisite citrus aroma are released. Young leaves are shredded for salads and mature leaves are cut in smaller pieces or tossed whole to add a lemony-spicy taste to dishes.

Kaffir Lime Tree Fruit

The Kaffir lime tree fruit, which is the size of a Western Lime, is not as popular as the leaves. The fruit of this citrus tree is dark green in color and unlike any other fruit of lemon lime trees it has a lumpy surface. The juice is seldom used because it is rather acidic, bitter, and overly sour. The rind is used in creating curry pastes and the zest is used to leave a poignant flavor to mouth-watering dishes like fried fish cakes.

Looking for a Dwarf Kaffir Lime Tree?

The post Kaffir Lime Tree appeared first on Yarden.

The Key Lime Tree is native to the small islands on the southern tip of eastern Florida. Key Lime trees are relatively small and seldom reach 12 ft in height. This hardy citrus tree is naturally resistant to pests and diseases and can adapt to many types of soil. It is bushy and has spindling branches that has short to medium length thorns. Key Lime Trees produce small white flowers that emit a spectacular aromatic scent that can last a whole season through.

Another notable aspect of this type of lime trees is that they are self-pollinating; meaning you only need one tree for it to bear fruits. All you have to do is take one flower from your tree and swab it over the other blooms and pollination process is already underway.

Key Lime tree – including the dwarf key lime tree – produces small, just about 1 ½ to 2 inches in diameter, and round to oblong fruit that has an invigorating blend of acidity and sweetness that is unique and unlike any other lime in the world. The rind of Key Lime is thin and smooth, and the color is deep green when unripe that turns to pale green when ready to be harvested. It also has 10 to 15 seeds that are polyembryonic.

The post Key Lime Tree appeared first on Yarden.

Growing a Summerfield Navel Orange Tree can be a rewarding experience, providing you with delicious, homegrown fruit while enhancing your garden’s beauty. By following the proper planting, watering, fertilizing, pruning, and pest management techniques outlined in this guide, you can enjoy a healthy and productive citrus tree for years to come.

This Summerfield Navel Orange Tree comes in a 5 Gallon nursery pot and stands between 3-4ft tall from the soil line.

We recommend planting your tree or repotting it into our Large EverPot Dwarfing Kit (pictured) if you’d like to keep it a manageable size for a patio or porch.

The post Summerfield Navel Orange Tree appeared first on Yarden.

The Persian Lime tree is an evergreen, vigorous tree that can grow 15 feet to 20 feet tall when planted in ground, with width of 5 feet to 10 feet wide when it reaches maturity. The Persian (Bearss) lime tree is a citrus tree that does well in warm climates but can survive cold temperatures; the dwarf lime tree can be grown in a pot if you live in colder areas. It is cold-hardy with recorded USDA plant hardiness zones 8-11.

This citrus tree has a spreading form, nearly-thornless drooping branches, broad green leaves, purplish young shoots and white blooms. The Bearss lime tree is a prolific fruit bearing tree that produces limes that are almost the size of lemons.

The seedless Bearss lime fruit has a dark to pale green rind that is smooth and thin. The skin is tightly clinging to the flesh of the fruit and has a characteristic thin nipple on the blossom end. Bearss lime has a distinct spicy aroma unique to its citrus kind and a tasty savory blend of lime and lemon minus the bitterness or acidity. Each lime fruit weighs about 2 ounces while half of that weight is juice.

The Persian Bearss lime tree is the most widely produced and cultivated lime tree commercially and accounts for the largest share of fruits sold as limes in the United States.

The post Persian (Bearss) Lime Tree appeared first on Yarden.

Meiwa Kumquat trees are a natural hybrid of Marumi and Nagami Kumquats. They were first brought to Japan during the Meiwa period 1764-72, hence the name. Kumquat trees were introduced to Europe by Robert Fortune in 1846 and shortly after to North America. Kumquat trees are divided into multiple species and one of them is the sweet Meiwa Kumquat tree (Fortunella crassifolia).

A Kumquat tree can grow as tall as 4’-8’ ft with dense branches that are relatively thornless. This citrus tree has glossy, dark green foliage and white fragrant blooms that occur singly or in clusters on the leaf axils.

Standard and Dwarf Kumquat trees do not grow well from seeds and are generally cultivated and propagated using rootstock of another citrus fruit. It is better to buy your Kumquat trees instead of growing them from seeds. Like most citrus fruits, Kumquats are self-pollinating but much hardier.

Meiwa Kumquat trees produce bright colored round to oval-shaped sweet fruits with an edible rind & flesh with soft seeds in the interior.

The post Meiwa Sweet Kumquat Tree appeared first on Yarden.

They have been naturalized in South America but kumquat trees are said to have originated in China and have been propagated since the 121th century AD. The kumquat trees are an important ingredient is traditional Japanese cooking. The Nagami kumquat tree was first introduced in America in 1855 via Japan and was primarily used for aesthetic purposes. The growth of the Asian population gave birth to culinary market for this citrus fruit.

Like many dwarf citrus trees, the kumquat tree is self-pollinating and has beautiful, fragrant white flowers that turn into olive-sized, sweet and tart orange fruits. The oval shaped fruits have a smooth pebbled surface and the edible sweet rind and flesh delivers a tart and juicy flavor similar to that of lemon. When eaten whole, you’ll get to enjoy the sweet-tart flavor of this fruit.

Because of its versatile flavor, Nagami kumquats are used in both sweet and savory preparations. It can be paired with other citrus fruits, nuts, seafood, salad greens, jellies, ice cream, and many cuts of poultry, fish, and meat.

Just like other citrus trees, kumquat trees are rarely if ever grown from seed. Rather they are propagated by air layering, cuttings and using rootstock of other citrus trees. Kumquat’s can be grown in the ground in USDA growing zones 8 – 11 but can be planted in a pots in colder zones.

The post Nagami Sour Kumquat Tree appeared first on Yarden.

This Grapefruit tree first arrived in the state of Florida in 1823 but did not gain popularity due to its acidity and difficulty to peel. Some planted the citrus tree and sold or gave away the produce as a novelty fruit. It was only in 1929 when the most celebrated mutation in the history of citrus fruit was discovered in an orchard in Texas that the fruit gained its popularity. Growing on a pink grapefruit tree was a mutated red grapefruit, which became the Ruby Red Grapefruit tree variety  the first of its kind to get U.S. patent.

The Ruby Red Grapefruit Tree is usually grown to 16-20 ft tall to ensure large fruit size and easy fruit picking, although when left alone it can grow as high as 40-50ft. This citrus tree has shiny, green foliage that covers the tree from top to bottom and produces fragrant, white four-petal flowers.

The Ruby Red Grapefruits are round, baseball sized fruit with a pale lemon color tinged with pink blush. The flesh of the fruit is sweet, juicy and brightly red. Ruby Red Grapefruit is a rich source of vitamin C and vitamin A, potassium, fiber, beta-carotene, lycopene that gives it its distinct red color and is a powerful antioxidant.

The post Ruby Red Grapefruit Tree appeared first on Yarden.