Some citruses can be cultivated in the garden all year. Although their main purpose is to look nice.

By Lars Lund

 

 

People tend to change the nature. Therefore, there are citrus sorts that through plant breeding can thrive in a garden and can withstand frost – some down to minus 20 degrees. They can of course also be placed in the greenhouse, but they are mainly there to look pretty.

 

The Pocirus trifoliata orange is not a hybrid but is the real deal and can easily survive the winter. It is a nice plant, but it has a bitter taste. Through plant breeding with the Pocirus trifoliata, other hybrids have been made, which has a less bitter taste.

One of the hybrids are poncirus X paradisi, which is a mix of Pocirus trifoliata and grapefruit. It can tolerate temperatures down to 10 and 14 degrees below zero. 

But the root system must be in well-drained soil.

 

Other hardy hybrids are Citrus Trifoliata X Unshiu and Citrus Trifoliata X Reshni.

Kinkoji grapefruit is a Japanese hybrid, which can tolerate temperatures down to 8 degrees below zero. It is a mix of a pomelo and a satsuma mandarin.

 

 

Indoor plants

Some citruses can be cultivated outdoors, while others are best for indoor cultivation. Microcitrus Papuana, which is native to New Guinea, can be cultivated indoors. Its fruits are shaped like an oval with a nice flavour of lime.

Citrus Mitis is an easy plant to care for and it grows a lot of small and pretty fruits.

A hybrid of a mandarin and a kumquat.

Citrus Aurantifolia is a lime. It should be in a dry place. This can for example be near a radiator. During winter it tolerates quite a lot of heat.