Hardy Tropicals UK

My son would like a hardy citrus for his birthday. If possible supplier Essex/Suffolk area. Is a calamondin the best bet and how much should I expect to pay please thanks for any help

I didn't think that Calamondin was reliably winter hardy, but this website has a good amount of information about what citrus trees are cold hardy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_Hardy_Citrus

There's a bit about hardy citrus here Wendy http://www.hardytropicals.co.uk/forum/v ... rus#p80683

There are some hardy citrus but are not true sweet oranges like in California or Florida. I have a Citrange called Rusk which is hardy to -12C. It is a cross and is suitable for marmalade. It defoliates in colder winters like last year.

I haven't had any fruit yet as in a small tub for the size of the plant. Must write myself a note..... repot in spring

Hi there
Hardy Citrus would be nice,The citrange is a good performer as Dave says,also if you have a sheltered micro climate,up against a south west facing wall for example,citrus sinensis(washington navel)can take temperatures down to -7C,If a reasonable size.Also the true citrus limon is just as hardy in the same spot.Also citrus mandarin(Satsuma)can grow in a good microclimate.These plants can loose there leaves for various reasons too dry too cold etc.But plenty heat in the Spring and full sun leaves will quickly grow back,They also like to be hard pruned to stimulate flowering and fruiting particularly Lemons.

Thanks for the interest shown. I was able to purchase a tree in Boxted Near Colchester which I am assured will do well in the garden ( fleece recommended) will lose any fruit and possibly leaves but will grow back and flourish

Trifoliate orange all the way. A native of china and Korea it is the only truly deciduous citrus and is hardy down to -30C. I understand i am a bit late, but you could get him one this christmas

My citrus (Tahiti lime, calomondin, Meyer lemon, eureka lemon) got through last winter outside and thrived this summer but they are sheltered by a south facing wall and have some overhead cover to stop leaves frosting and to ensure they are kept on the dry side. When I have brought them in for the winter they are besieged by caterpillars and then scale. Outside neither are a problem.

doncasterpalmguy123 wrote:Trifoliate orange all the way. A native of china and Korea it is the only truly deciduous citrus and is hardy down to -30C. I understand i am a bit late, but you could get him one this christmas

Is that a Poncirus you are talking about, yes very hardy, but not particulaly edible.

Yes dave, thats the one. I know, they're poor when it comes to their fruit, I've heard they can be made into marmalades and jams though

Citrimelo should do ok over there..I am thinking of trying one here next year. need to plant my trifoliate out at the new house as well

One thing is for certain, if you want a Citrus tree that will produce a good crop in the UK climate, it is without doubt Calamondin... however it is also without doubt not frost hardy. It is fairly cold hardy, I keep mine in an unheated corner of the garden and it has survived the last two winters. The main thing is how well it fruits.

Poncirus trifoliate, the Japanese bitter orange all the way! Fully hardy!

Hi all - just resurrecting this old thread as someone in the US kindly sent me some hardy citrus seeds: changsa orange and ichangsis lemon to be precise. Apparently they're both cold/moisture hardy so could be a good option for the UK. They have been sprouting really easily so thought I'd post on here if anyone is interested in getting some. I may also post on the Swaps/Freebies forum to see if there's any interest there. If you're interested, it'd be great if you could cover postage but I'm also open to swaps if you have something interesting.

Cheers!