Orange Tree?

[Leigh Ann Chen]

Hi all -

I'm thinking of planting an orange tree in my backyard.

What would be my best bet given the following :

1) clay soil 2) lots of sun (especially in afternoon) 3) live in Dublin, CA (slightly inland from San Francisco)

Thanks.

la

[M. Tiefert]

Two additional questions:

1) Do you have a lot of wind there? If so, the tree's leaves may get rather beat up, but you should still get flowers and fruit. (Well, at least my lemon tree on a balcony that gets wind from Crow Canyon has wind-beaten leaves but lots of lemons.) 2) Does the grass in that spot in your yard get frost during the winter? Can you provide some shelter for the tree on cold nights?

Look in the Sunset Western Garden book under "Citrus" (page 230 in the

1995 edition) - lots of useful information! Also lots of information on varieties, so you can have a first and second choice in mind when you go shopping.

They do need good drainage, so with clay, you may have to make a raised bed.

cheers,

Marj

• * * Marj Tiefert: Mediterranean Garden Shop: Sunset zone 14-mild

[John Savage]

You beat me to it! Citrus demand good drainage. The raised bed may be a good idea. As citrus are shallow rooting, the friable sandy loam in the raised bed won't need to be all that deep.