Since the flowers and trees have been rolling into the nurseries this spring my bestie and I have been on the hunt for Meyer lemon trees, lime trees, and olive trees. Every place we’ve went said they just aren’t carrying them any longer because they don’t sell well. We decided we’d order what we wanted online in hopes we received something more than a dead stick in the mail (been there done that before) and these trees are to pricey to get a scrawny unhealthy tree in the mail.
We’d given up on finding any this year, until we went to a craft show on Saturday and the first booth we went into had one lime and one lemon tree. We squealed with delight grabbed each other and snatched them up. I took the lime tree home and she took the lemon tree. We both have them on our decks for the summer but will bring them inside for the cold winter months.
I couldn’t believe how fragrant the leaves are, on our way home with them the whole Jeep smelled like sweet fruit. My lime tree is loaded with limes already, I started counting and stopped at 20. We decided once they’re done fruiting we’ll cut a branch off each tree, dip it in rooting homrome and repot it. That way we’ll each have a lime and a lemon tree.
Now all I have left to find is an olive tree. I asked my mom to search Florida for one, she’ll be driving to my place next week and could haul one along with her. I guess Michigan just isn’t the place to find the trees I’ve been looking for. If you’ve every ordered them online please leave me your source and tell me the condition they arrived in.
I can smell the fruit from over here . . . Colorado . . . and I’m inspired with vision once I get back in to a house. At Christmas I visited a friend and she told me to pick a lemon from her tree growing in a large window. That lemon was the sweetest, most delicious tasting one I had ever eaten!. Enjoy your fruit and thanks for sharing!
My husband and I were at Lowes yesterday and found a lime tree in a nice pot for $18.00! Original price was $55.00! I’m grew-up in South Florida, where as a child we just walked out the door for our citrus. So really miss that, now that I’m living in Colorado. It was like Christmas for me, when he found it. I’ll drag it inside this Fall. And put in my library in front of the south side facing window. Crossing my fingers I can keep it alive! So enjoy your lime tree and may it produce beautiful limes for you.
Margaret I believe they used to sell them at our local Lowes too but the demand wasn’t there so the quit.
There is this wonderful place, Logee’s, not far from where I live. They sell internationally and have some of the most unusual stuff. Everything is very healthy. Where else in New England can you buy kumquats in January off of a tree that planted itself in a 100+ year old greenhouse?
http://www.logees.com/
Awesome Jackie thanks for the link.
We used to have many lime, lemon and orange trees in our backyard when we were growing up in Florida…I miss them…will have to think about having one on the patio!….I am assuming you will be green housing it during the winter months. Love the smell too!
I grow my own from seeds. I keep a couple clay pots on my kitchen window sill (faces north) and every time i find seeds in any citrus fruits i just pop them into the dirt. I have grapefruit, orange, lemon and lime trees growing. My largest are about 4 feet tall and 4 years old. The two seed pots that i keep on the window sill have reg. potting soil that i keep moist and just watch them sprout. I don’t worry about labels since as they get older, all i have to do is give the leaves a bit of a rub with my fingers and smell……easy to identify the plant by the scent.
Erika, thats amazing that you can grow them from seed like that. I learned the trick of smelling a leaf this year to identify the plant. I’d love to have a green thumb like you.
I ordered a semi-dwarf orange, lime, and lemon tree from Stark Bros. in 2015. (online) All three arrived in good shape and I planted each in a large container. I move them into the garage during the winter. My orange tree has grown the fastest, followed closely by my lemon tree. My lime tree had a setback the first year, but made significant progress this past summer. My lemon tree had flowers on it this past summer, but never actually fruited. I’m hoping for all three to bear some fruit this summer (2018). BTW, I have ordered many trees from Stark Bros. and have never been disappointed. They’ve all arrived well, and all have lived.