Citrus Trees - Garden Plant of the Month March

Citrus Trees - Garden Plant of the Month March

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Garden Plant of the Month for March: Citrus trees

A lasting holiday feeling on your patio
Beautiful colours, sweet scents and - if you’re lucky - a modest harvest of fruit; all those on their own are enough to make a citrus tree a lovely addition to the garden. But this Mediterranean beauty is also evergreen, So you can enjoy it all year long. The trees of the mandarin, lemon, lime, orange, kumquat and grapefruit each look slightly different, but they all have a sturdy trunk with a green crown. Another similarity is that they produce lots of blossom, like a warm and sunny spot, and lend an exotic note to your patio or balcony. They’re classic container plants that need lots of light in both summer and winter.

The origin of the citrus trees
Most citrus trees originate from South-East Asia. The Romans planted the trees in their gardens in 200 AD. The first trees came to Western Europe in around 1200. Initially the plants were protected from frost in sheds using a fire. Later orangeries were built in which the ‘orange trees’ could spend the winter. Their orange fruit means that the trees give you a lasting holiday feeling in the garden or on the patio,  but also when the plants are placed indoors in the living room.
Citrofortunella microcarpa (Calamondin) is a cross between the genuses of citrus and fortunella. The other citrus species are virtually all imported from countries around the Mediterranean nowadays. Examples include: Citrus limon (lemon), Citrus reticulata (mandarin), Citrus sinensis (orange) and the genus Fortunella (kumquat) containing the species Fortunella japonica (small round fruit) and Fortunella margarita (oval orange fruit). 

Citrofortunella: mini-oranges
The genus Citrus includes fruit such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruit and kumquats. There is also a mini orange tree: Citrofortunella microcarpa. The name ‘microcarpa’ indicates that the plant bears a small fruit. It’s an evergreen tree, and the white flowers produce a delectable jasmine fragrance. The plants often bear buds, flowers and fruit at the same time. The plants come in various sizes, from small handy ‘table trees’ to sizeable trees with small orange fruit. You can make jam or marmalade from the fruit.

Caring for Citrofortunella
Citrofortunella likes a light, sunny spot and moderate (rain) watering. It also needs regular feeding. The plants like a slightly acid soil, so it’s a good idea to mix potting soil with some garden turf. You can pollinate the flowers yourself with your thumb or a brush in order to ensure that the plant produces enough fruit. It takes about a year for the fruit to ripen.
The plants can be placed in the garden or on the balcony or patio in full sun from mid-March to October. You should keep an eye on the night-time temperature, since the plants don’t like night frosts. And allow the plant to acclimatise to bright sunlight in the first few weeks, otherwise it will scorch. The orange tree can be brought indoors in October before the first night frost, and overwinter in a frost-free spot. This can be in the living room, or in a conservatory or greenhouse. 

Citrofortunella training tips
These orange trees can be grown as a standard or as a bush. It’s best to prune in the spring to keep plants growing vigorously and healthy. After pruning the plant will produce more shoots, but it will then take a little while before it starts flowering and producing fruit again. You should therefore limit pruning to shaping the plant or removing stray shoots.  Do trim off the side shoots on a standard product, in order to achieve and retain an attractive trunk.  

More information about Citrofortunella and other garden plants can be found at Thejoyofplants.co.uk.

Garden Plant of the Month 
Citrofortunella is in the spotlight in March as the Garden Plant of the Month. ‘Garden Plant of the Month’ is an initiative by Thejoyofplants.co.uk. Growers and horticultural specialists from the floriculture sector select a garden plant every month at the request of Thejoyofplants.co.uk in order to inspire and enthuse. Because a garden isn’t a garden without plants.

Looking to send a gift? How about one of these in a gorgeous planter. Many varieties and sizes to choose from.

Getting married in March? These would make unusual table centerpieces or smaller ones gifts for your guests or use the larger ones as aisle decorations and plant in the garden after the day.

Ask for availability, varieties, sizes and prices today

Sandra x

Potted Bulbs - Garden Plant of The Month February

Potted Bulbs - Garden Plant of The Month February

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Garden Plant of the Month for February: Potted bulbs

Heralds of spring in the home or garden!
Bulb crops give you a feeling of spring. They're flowers that emerge from their bulbs bursting with energy and colour. In February it’s often still too cold to see the bulbs that you planted in the garden in autumn emerge from the ground. But there’s a handy solution to this: potted bulb products, which are widely available in February thanks to the grower’s skill.  Potted bulbs bring an early spring to the garden and the living room. When the first warm spell arrives, you can see the flowers bursting out of the pot as cheerful, fragrant heralds of spring.
Potted bulbs can be planted in the soil or in containers for on the balcony or patio. They are also all available as cut flowers. Within the potted bulb range, we see familiar products from the main species, each with a large number of cultivars in many colours and sizes. These potted bulb products - hyacinths, narcissi and grape hyacinths (Muscari) - are the real stars of the range. The larger the bulb that the growers have planted in the pots, the better the quality that emerges with more and larger flowers on a stem.

Potted bulbs: Hyacinth, Narcissus, Muscari: early spring in the garden! 
The something special about narcissi, hyacinths and Muscari. They need a period of cold in order to flower. So if you want to enjoy them earlier than the normal flowering months (from March to May), the grower has to perform two tricks. First the (dry) bulbs need to spend a few weeks in low temperatures of between 5 and 10°C. Then the growers plant them in pots, and they are ‘forced’ in greenhouses at considerably higher temperatures as if spring has arrived. The plants then flower in February, tricked into thinking that it’s already spring. 

The pot hyacinth is a beautifully scented plant in pink, white, blue, purple, salmon or pale yellow. The individual flowers on the stems are called claws. The pot Narcissus also comes in a wide number of varieties, ranging from beautifully scented spray narcissi to flowers with everything from very small to gigantic trumpets, as well as double flowered varieties. The most important colours are yellow and white. We also see a lot of bicoloured varieties, on which the flower contains salmon pink and orange. The Muscari or grape hyacinth is a small, grape-shaped flower, usually blue. However, there are also white or purple ‘grapes’ and there are also crested grape hyacinths. Muscari is one of the most fabulous potted bulb products, and has a light musk scent, as is reflected in the name Muscari. 

Caring for potted bulbs: Hyacinth, Narcissus, Muscari
The three different potted bulb plants - Hyacinth, Narcissus and Muscari - all require the same care to ensure they give you pleasure for a long time. The plants are undemanding in the garden - they can be placed in both the shade and the sun. Potted bulb products do particularly well even at temperatures around freezing. Indoors the plant requires a spot which is as cool as possible to ensure the longest flowering.Make sure that the soil never dries out. You should therefore water the plant regularly, but don’t get the bulbs too wet since this can cause them to rot. There’s no real need to feed, since most nutrients are already present in the bulb. And obviously the plants are only for decoration and not for consumption. 

Storage tips for potted bulbs: Hyacinth, Narcissus, Muscari
When the flowers on the bulbs have finished blooming, you can store the bulbs in order to plant them in the garden again for the next growing season. This is easier with narcissi and grape hyacinths, since hyacinths are more prone to disease. Allow the foliage on the narcissi and grape hyacinths to die back fully in the pot. Then remove the bulbs from the pot and store them until October in a dry, dark place, such as a shed or cellar. Because these are spring flowering bulbs, they should be planted in the autumn. They will then experience a period of cold in winter, and will flower again in the spring from March. 

More information about potted bulbs - Hyacinth, Narcissus, Muscari - and other garden plants can be found at Thejoyofplants.co.uk.

Garden Plant of the Month 
The Garden Plant of the Month spotlight is on potted bulbs: Hyacinth, Narcissus, Muscari in February. ‘Garden Plant of the Month’ is an initiative by Thejoyofplants.co.uk. Growers and horticultural specialists from the floriculture sector select a garden plant every month at the request of Thejoyofplants.co.uk in order to inspire and enthuse. Because a garden isn’t a garden without plants.

These and other bulbs are available as potted designs or as cut flowers. There is more to February than red roses!!
Are you getting wed? Add in a variety of bulbs to your designs for a seasonal look. Give small or single bulbs as favors to your guests or have potted bulbs as your table centerpieces and plant in your garden for years of enjoyment long after the day has gone.

To ask about availability please get in touch for daily varieties.

Sandra x