After several years of low availability, citrus trees became more attainable around 2009. At that time I bought a lemon and an orange tree, both of which were about the same size… both were very small. The lemon was grafted from a fruit-bearing tree but had not produced any fruit during the first season in the ground (not surprisingly). However, it has grown incredibly quickly, easily doubling in size since initial planting; in contrast, the orange tree has shown virtually no growth. The lemon tree is very pretty and very fragrant; the leaves themselves have a refreshing lemon smell. The one downside is the sharp thorns that protrude from the trunk and branches; in retrospect, I probably would have purchased a tree without the thorns. With young kids I have considered relocating to a more remote area of the yard; in the meantime I have been cutting the thorns off. I want to wait until after this coming fruit season in the hopes of it bearing fruit.
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| Look at those nasty thorns! |
I imagine Jack and Jilly in a lemonade stand right in front of the house! Those thorns do look nasty, though. Once the tree gets older, the thorns will not be as prominent... but true lemon trees (not hybrids) have thorns. You'll just have to keep pruning them off.
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