Lemon Tree in the Carnation area?

My husband has a thing for lemons...could be worse I suppose.
For Father's Day I would like to get him a dwarf Lemon and keep it alive long enough for him to make lemonade etc.. He constantly reminds me that at our home in California we had a pool and a lemon tree so I would like to bring at least one of his good memories to our home in Carnation. Is this possible? We get pretty cold in the winter.

No in ground Citrus here.
The Meyer's lemon does well in a pot - bring it in when the temps dip in the fall.
If he absolutely must have it - this would be an excellent time to negotiate for a Greenhouse... :0)

that is an excellent idea, I should say both ideas are excellent! :)

Katye, I love your way of thinking!!!

I actually propagate a few cold-hardy citrus. Mainly cuttings of Poncirus trifoliata and other cultivars. I know someone in Saanichton who has a Meyers Lemon under a glass overhang against a white painted wood wall which fruits each year and is not given side protection (unless we get a really hard freeze). He also has Mexican Avocado, Pawpaw, Chilean Guava and a few other types of citrus. Unfortunately we can't export citrus to the US or I'd recommend you contact him. http://www.fruittreesandmore.com/ I believe he is working on a book about cold-hardy citrus, etc.

Isn't it in Versailles that they have citrus trees in square planter boxes with wheels on the bottom to roll them in and out? I sold a bunch of 'Meyers Improved' at the botanical garden sale and I believe they came from Northwoods.

Growin,
Yes, I've heard they do that at Versailles. Now, my house is not on the same scale but what is good for a King is darn good enough for me.
The question is, when I role Mr or Ms Lemon away in the fall or winter, does it go into the garage and I water it very seldom, or does it need to be in that greenhouse Katye was kind enough to encourage?

Lol. Ya' can roll yer Versailles Lemon into the living room. If your garage is bright enough and doesn't freeze, it would work well too. They can burn when you take them out in the late spring so put it in shade first.

When I had mine, i brought it in the house - fortunately i have a spot with windows that face south & west, so it did well there. It never fruited heavily - but I was ok with that. You are east of me, and subject to colder temps than I get. When you take it back outside in the spring, select an area that is sheltered. There is little build-up of heat units in this area & strong sunlight in spring is atypical. To be on the safe side - treat it gently!

Just for fun, I want you to have a look at the Orangerie at Versailles, and consider what happens when you first buy one lemon tree......... http://www.insecula.com/salle/photo_ME0000005352.html

And the lawn maintainence...... http://www.insecula.com/salle/photo_ME0000005353.html

And one last one, the panorama. This is so good. http://www.insecula.com/salle/MS00750.html

did you enjoy that?

This message was edited Jun 11, 2007 8:32 PM

This message was edited Jun 11, 2007 8:36 PM

Laurie1,
it IS good to be the King!
thanks for the inspiring pictures.

you're welcome.

But can you imagine how tired the little guy with the garden trolley must be after moving all of those trees in and out of the orangerie every year? I can just feel his little spirit droop come September - knowing that the moving day nears. And as Spring progresses, and everyone else is jolly and light, oh dearie me, how his heart must sink until the job is done.

What a job. I hope someone brings him a nice cool bier when the last one goes in place. Ahhhh, that would be refreshing.

As much as I love to garden, and as much as I would like a bigger plot of land, that would be a bit much - lol!!!

The garden trolley guy must feel he has a "lemon" of a job. Think of the drinks he can make during the summer...

LOL!!!

"let them eat cake!.....er drink lemonade."

Marie Antoinette
ex-occupant

I was thinking "Please go get me a lemon. No, not from that tree, I meant from the tree 47th from the left and two rows back. No, not THAT one, THAT one...."

I keep telling you lot, no jokes before work - going off chuckling to myself. 'NOT that one, you're other left....' poor trolley chap