A look at just some of the exciting citrus available
Have you ever thought about giving citrus a go on your summer patio? There’s a huge range you can try, and it’s much more than just lemons for your G&T! This week, I will show you a Japanese citrus fruit that you can add to your bath, a variety that you’re more likely to use the leaves of rather than the fruit, a citrus that makes a great cup of tea, and a whole lot more besides.
Keep plants on the summer patio, watering them well and feeding with a specialist citrus fertiliser. Keep humidity up if you can. Citrus are best given winter protection, and you will need to reduce watering right down over the colder months. The largest range of citrus plants can be found at Plants 4 Presents, a family run business in the UK. As the name suggests, plants are sent beautifully packaged, and with a handwritten greeting card to boot.
Yuzu
This is an intriguing fruit, popular in Japanese cookery and admired for a complex grapefruit-esque flavour. Trees are surprisingly hardy, a friend of mine has a mature tree in her West London garden, and I regularly badger her for a few fruits – not for cooking, but because Yuzu is famed for its use during the winter solstice. All you need to do is cut the fruit in half and add the juices to your bath water, which is believed to have many health benefits.
These hardy citrus will tolerate temperatures down to -5C and grow well in a pot in a sunny garden, or the conservatory if you prefer. The branches do have a few spikes, so take extra care when picking and pruning.
Bergamot
Did you know that the fragrant rind from this specialist tree is most famously used to make Earl Grey Tea? How do you take yours? I’m a ‘just with a squeeze of lemon’ type guy. The rind, juice and flowers of a Bergamot all have a wonderfully complex flavour and can be used in a range of tempting drinks and baking, though they are too bitter to be used raw.
It’s a really interesting tree for your summer patio, and there’s also lots of research going into the fruits for their potentially anti-bacterial properties!
Calamondin
This is ideal for a beginner. The calamondin is a pretty citrus tree which will happily fruit and flower throughout the season, making it one of the most ornamental – and easiest – of all the citrus trees to grow.
While it’s a little bitter straight from the plant, the miniature orange fruits taste fantastic in a gin and tonic, summer glass of Pimms, or can even be squeezed into salad dressings and marinades. Usually fruits are quite small in size, so it is the most suitable citrus from the range for growing as a houseplant.
Lemon
Of course, the most popular citrus tree to grow, perhaps because we are a nation of gin lovers? The ‘Gary’s Eureka’ cultivar is a savvy choice, and plants give lovely juicy fruits with a thick skin. Never ignore the flowers though, as with most citrus they have a very sexy fragrance!
Plants have a reputation for good cold hardiness, which makes it a brilliant beginner citrus tree. This cultivar will take temperatures down to freezing, but is perhaps best grown on the summer patio and brought indoors for the winter months.
Makrut Lime
This is the citrus which gives that zesty flavour in thai green curry. You’ll be pleased to hear they are quite easy to grow in the UK too.
Although it’s the leaves that you’d normally use in cooking, either shredded fresh into stir fries or used like bay leaves in broths and curries, the zest and the juice of the fruits is also ideal for drinks and puddings. Rumour has it the team at Plants 4 Presents make a ‘Makrut’ lime vodka’ using the fresh leaves. I like the sound of that!
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