Have you ever thought about giving Citrus a go on your patio? Thereโs a huge range you can try, and itโs much more than just lemons for your G&T! This week, I will show you a Japanese citrus fruit that you can add to your bath, a citrus that youโre more likely to use the leaves of rather than the fruit, a citrus that makes a great cup of tea, and a whole lot more.
Keep plants on the summer patio, watering well and feeding with a specialist citrus fertilizer. Keep humidity up if you can. Citrus are best given winter protection, and reduce watering right down over the colder months. The largest range of citrus plants can be found at Plants 4 Presents, a family run business in the UK. As the name suggests, plants are sent beautifully packaged, and with a handwritten greeting card.
Scroll on for my recommended plants this week, plus extra plants if you have a premium subscription to this Substack!


Yuzu
An intriguing fruit, popular in Japanese cookery, and admired for a complex grapefruit-esque flavour. Trees are surprisingly hardy, a friend of mine has a mature tree in her West London garden, and I regularly badger her for a few fruits. Not for cooking, but because Yuzu is also famed for its use during the winter solstice. All you need to do is cut the fruit in half and add the juices to your bath water, which is believed to have many health benefits.
These hardy citrus will tolerate temperatures down to -5C and will grow well in a pot in a sunny garden, or the conservatory if you prefer. The branches do have a few spikes, so take extra care when picking and pruning!
Buy here.


Bergamot
Did you know that the fragrant rind from this specialist tree is most famously used to make Earl Grey Tea? How do you take yours? Iโm a โjust with a squeeze of lemonโ type guy! The rind, juice and flowers of a Bergamot all have a wonderfully complex flavour and can be used in a range of tempting drinks and baking, though too bitter to be used raw.
A really interesting tree for your summer patio. Thereโs also lots of research into the fruits for their potentially anti-bacterial properties!
Look out for it on Plants4Presents soon.
Calamondin
Ideal for a beginner, the calamondin is a pretty citrus tree, which will happily fruit and flower throughout the season, making them one of the most ornamental- and easiest- of all the citrus trees to grow.
Whilst a little bitter straight from the plant, the miniature orange fruits taste awesome in a gin and tonic, summer glass of Pimms, or can even be squeezed into salad dressings and marinades. Usually fruits at quite a small size, so the most suitable citrus from the range for growing as a houseplant.
Buy here.
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