April in the Garden with Roraima Nursery

It is not so often in the garden that we come across a plant, or a group of plants, that serve well in both an ornamental and productive capacity at the some time. Such a group are the citrus trees. These highly ornamental, evergreen trees produce handsome, lush, deep green foliage – an asset in the garden which can be utilized as a screen, background understory or as a key point focus.

The principal members of the citrus family are the lemon, orange, grapefruit, lime, shaddock, mandarin and cumquat. All these types come in a range of forms and varieties to suit individual requirements for the gardener. The orange, and some of the other members of the family, have been cultivated for so long a period of time, and over such an extended geographical area, that it is scarcely possible to refer to the numerous forms which have arisen under culture. The two or three parent varieties, from which all these forms have sprung, originated in Asia. In 1818, in a work called the ‘Histoire Naturelle des Oranges’, a folia work by Risso & Poiteau, some 109 varieties were illustrated. And they can be extremely long lived plants, as well. One orange tree, planted at Versailles in 1421, was still producing fruit up to the early 1900’s, and another, planted in the Convent of St Sabina, Rome, was said to be more than 600 years old at around the same time. In Spain, at Cordova, plantings of oranges 600 to 700 years old still remained in production in the 20th Century.

The introduction into cultivation in England of types of citrus fruits other than oranges, from where they eventually found their way into Australia, occurred over several centuries. The Sweet Orange appears to have been introduced, from Asia, around 1595. The Shaddock, probably derived from Polynesia, arrived in 1722. Limes were introduced, from Asia, in 1648, along with the Citron and the Lemon. Mandarins, a later introduction, arrived from China in 1805. The Cumquat, a well known ingredient in Chinese sweetmeats, was introduced by Mr Charles Fortune, a well known plant explorer of the early 19th Century.

When growing citrus, it should be remembered that they are a surface rooting plant, and as such, prefer an open, lighter soil. Where this is not available, good results can be obtained by providing a raised bed, well mulched and never cultivated. With the exception of the lemon, all the other citrus, to do well in Southern Victoria, should have the benefit of the warmest position in the garden, as rich a soil as possible, and a reasonable supply of water during the growing season.

Happy gardening from Lyle and the team at Roraima Nursery.