Bring a bit of the Mediterranean to your British back yard by growing your own Sweet orange tree. Not only do they bear delicious fruit but their leaves are strongly fragranced, their beautiful waxy white flowers have a heavy scent that's brought out by the sun, and with the right care they're evergreen all year round.
A hybrid of the Pomelo and Mandarin orange, the fruit are about the size of a tangerine and will take the whole of summer to ripen. Whether you eat them or not, the fruit are highly ornamental, hanging from the tree like bright golden suns. We do recommend that you pick them once they're ripe though, so that your tree can start putting it's energy back into growing roots and shoots.
Depending on the time of year, your tree may arrive without fruit, but if you give it enough warmth and sun it should flower and fruit from spring.
Orla will be happiest outdoors over summer so feel free to pop her on the patio, balcony or terrace after the last frost. Like most Citrus plants, she loves sun, so put her in your brightest spot. The sunnier the spot, the thirstier she'll be, so keep her well hydrated during the height of summer. To encourage her to flower and fruit as much as possible, it's a good idea to feed her regularly with plant food specially formulated for citrus.
As soon as the first cold snap approaches, bring your tree indoors, stop feeding, and reduce your watering to every few weeks. Always make sure excess water can drain out of the bottom of the pot. For her winter retreat indoors, Orla will appreciate being near a window where she can get lots of light. What she won't enjoy is hot, dry air from radiators. She doesn't mind being cool, as long as she's not wet and freezing.
If you choose to plant your Citrus tree out into a decorative pot, or when it comes time to repot it - every 2 to 3 years - be sure to use a loam based compost like John Innes No.3, which will have the perfect balance of drainage and moisture retentive goodies like sand and clay.
Did you know?
The first record of the Sweet orange tree dates as far back as 314 B.C. This gives us a hint as to how far back people have been experimenting with growing tasty fruit.
Easy care
Bright light
Pollinator friendly
