Growing citrus in the cold

Discussion in 'Citrus' started by mea08mw, Mar 4, 2019.

  1. mea08mw

    mea08mw New Member

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    Hi,
    I live in england, I'm interested in any information people have about how a citrus tree would behave in our cold climate if it were just left to grow outside. From what I understand it will not bear any fruit but would it live at all or woud it just die? I'm only interested in the leaves.
    Thanks for your help
    Mike
     
  2. Will B

    Will B Active Member

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    There are a number of different climate zones in the UK, but in at least some of them you should be able to grow the more cold hardy citrus outdoors without issue. The hardiest I know of are the trifoliate orange and the yuzu. I grow citrus primarily in a cool greenhouse (minimal heating) on Vancouver Island, BC, but have a trifoliate orange flying dragon growing outdoors without issue. Some others can be grown outdoor with fruit with mild protection. I have put up some pages on growing citrus here: Growing Citrus on Vancouver Island | Aprici
     
  3. Junglekeeper

    Junglekeeper Esteemed Contributor 10 Years

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    You may want to check out the discussions in this external forum: Cold Hardy Citrus.
     
  4. mea08mw

    mea08mw New Member

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    Thanks for your help, I'll look into them
     
  5. Michigander

    Michigander Active Member

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    'Flying Dragon', Poncirus trifoliata 'contorted' is striking, smallish, and nearly evergreen to USA zone 7.
    Plant it near a sidewalk, or front door, or a prominent spot where it can be seen up-close.
     
  6. Daniel Mosquin

    Daniel Mosquin Paragon of Plants UBC Botanical Garden Forums Administrator Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Quite a few areas in the UK are equivalent to USA Hardiness Zone 9, so a fair number of options to try.
     
  7. SoCal2warm

    SoCal2warm Active Member

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    It doesn't directly answer your question but you may be interested in this:
    Grapefruit that grows outside in England (There's a white grapefruit managing to survive in the Chelsea Physic Garden in London)
    Citrumelos in England

    The two original citrus species with cold hardiness are Poncirus trifoliata and Citrus ichangensis, so all other hardy citrus are hybrids of these.
    Directly or indirectly. Well, I should qualify that statement and say there are a few other hardy citrus varieties that are not quite as hardy (since cold hardy is a relative word), and I am aware of just a few exceptions. As you may have guessed, it's difficult to make generalizations that don't have any exceptions.
    Satsuma mandarin, Keraji, and Bloomsweet are all descended from an ancestral variety called Kunenbo, so I suppose you could group them into their own special little family. They're moderately hardy but are going to have extreme difficulty surviving anything less than zone 8b, when you're talking about Northern climates.
    One of the exceptions I am aware of is Tiwanica lemon. It's like a lemon (or that's the best comparison) but technically it's actually a form of sour orange. It may be as or almost as hardy as Yuzu, and to my knowledge genetic studies haven't revealed it to have any other ancestry than that of sour orange. I am aware of one Tiwanica lemon that's perfectly happy and bountifully fruitful in zone 8b Georgia, in the U.S., and it can grow well in zone 8a South Carolina. Then there is Changsha mandarin, which came from China, nobody is really sure where it originated from but it appears to be a type of mandarin, not really with the best fruit quality, but edible, and of course seedy. Tachibana is another one native to the islands of Japan, but it may be difficult to find it, and the fruit quality is not really worthwhile (it's basically a close cousin to wild mandarin, a bit sour and bland and not good quality flavor, though not particularly distasteful either). I'll just point out that none of these "exceptions" I've listed here are going to survive in zone 7, in case I got anyone's hopes up. Kumquat is the hardiest of the common citrus but is still not going to survive in zone 7, even with light protection. It can be pretty "iffy" in the colder part of zone 8 in Northern climates and may not survive there (unless you find a really optimal spot).
    Then there are all sorts of hybrids that have been made between the above, but they may be difficult to find.

    Citrus ichangensis is hardy to zone 8, but I have come across at least one anecdotal report of a tree fruiting on the border between 8a/7b in interior North Carolina. Further North, they're not going to survive that, and can struggle in the very coldest parts of 8a. I am aware of a specimen that has managed to survive for decades at the base of a South-facing cliff with lots of warm sun on the Isle of Wright.
    I'll even post a picture for you, it's in Ventnor Botanic Garden.
    Isle-of-Wright.jpg
    I don't know if it has ever fruited.
     
  8. Will B

    Will B Active Member

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    I just noticed in the resources that there is a link to a "Home Citrus Growers" web site based on a collection in the UK. Seems to be very detailed and may have lots of info for you: Citrus Site - Full Index
     

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