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My friend in Victoria, BC is growing 3 species outdoors. Cold hardy lemon, cold hardy lime, and sometimes mandarins, not the best climate due to summer dry season, but they do well at least in the mild weather.
I very much doubt they are just growing out in the open, without protection. I've followed the exploits of people trying citrus on vancouver island, and it's a vastly different experience to my own, where my 30 odd trees produce thousands of fruit year round with no imput from me at all.
Vancouver Island doesn't really grow citrus, and the bananas that survive in exceptional environments, are hardy to the point of being grown in nyc, dc, etc. My idea of a citrus climate is like here, where I can buy a cheap orange tree and expect a shopping bag of fruit within a year or , and for bananas to expect eating bananas off every plant grown within 18 -24 months.
I agree that nz is oceanic, but much of it could be regarded as cool summer subtropical in relation to crop production, which isn't true of the scilly isles or vancouver island etc.
Correct. Citrus on Vancouver Island require extreme protection; nobody would say they "grow" in any meaningful sense. Bananas here are ornamental only and die back each winter.
There are lots of Trachycarpus fortunei palms though so the OP can have that point for what it's worth. That said, this person's posts read like they have been sent through a translate app and back again. Not sure how seriously to take them.
My friend in Victoria, BC is growing 3 species outdoors. Cold hardy lemon, cold hardy lime, and sometimes mandarins, not the best climate due to summer dry season, but they do well at least in the mild weather.
I find that hard to believe. If there's any truth to it, they must surely be under extreme protection during the winter.
There is a reason they don't do that often in the uk, and it's the same reason I wouldn't bother trying to grow a mango. There are really only windmill palms in scotland. Very hard to find information on the mandarin and what is mentioned is that lack of taste. Mandarins and other citrus need sufficient heat in all seasons, not just frost hardiness, and this is why the only two uk examples I have seen, were in highly modified environments.
The lack of heat will slow their growth, but they can manage UK well but it is not the same, but in Virginia’s case it is better because Virginia has heat in summer. Well these Mandarins can tolerate down to 9°F(-13°C), in which most of Virginia dips lower at least 1 day a year, but that only means 1 day or 2 of protection, but the coastal areas, nah they don’t need at all. Infact I remember where I lived in northern Alabama, people where saying it’s too cold here for citrus, but even at 7b we saw a garden full of them and their plants in winter seemed fine, and the man who planted them said that most years he wouldn’t need to put protection on them, only if the news said a strong cold wave going below 10°F(-12.2°C), they tolerate freeze but not the very strong one for too long. They have survived below 0°F(18°C) in Tennessee this year where it got below that, no damage, but those temperatures are not safe, but Tennessee struggles to get there. So by far, they can thrive well in those regions as long as they are in the right hardiness zone or if not they get the protection needed.
In UK’s case, in England they are better because there is more heat in summer than in Scotland. Infact London’s summers are similar to NZ’s summers, so not bad.
The cold-hardy citrus he planted are hardy to zone 8, and he is in zone 9, infact the only time he put winter cover to them was in a severe Canadian cold wave, but this year even with the snow storm he didn’t need to protect them except 1.
Well Victoria has the mildest winter of all Canada so it is not bad, what surprises me is people doing the same in Long Island, and maybe only a very specific microclimate would take 8a, so they are 7b I have no idea how!!! Also Cape Cod being oceanic on -3°C isotherm having a subtropical plant as native, bro! Not even Boston which has similar winters and that actually took up the summer and under -3°C isotherm is humid-subtropical did, only Cape Cod managed, infact after Delaware it becomes hard to find as native until you reach cape cod!
The lack of heat will slow their growth, but they can manage UK well but it is not the same, but in Virginia’s case it is better because Virginia has heat in summer. Well these Mandarins can tolerate down to 9°F(-13°C), in which most of Virginia dips lower at least 1 day a year, but that only means 1 day or 2 of protection, but the coastal areas, nah they don’t need at all. Infact I remember where I lived in northern Alabama, people where saying it’s too cold here for citrus, but even at 7b we saw a garden full of them and their plants in winter seemed fine, and the man who planted them said that most years he wouldn’t need to put protection on them, only if the news said a strong cold wave going below 10°F(-12.2°C), they tolerate freeze but not the very strong one for too long. They have survived below 0°F(18°C) in Tennessee this year where it got below that, no damage, but those temperatures are not safe, but Tennessee struggles to get there. So by far, they can thrive well in those regions as long as they are in the right hardiness zone or if not they get the protection needed.
In UK’s case, in England they are better because there is more heat in summer than in Scotland. Infact London’s summers are similar to NZ’s summers, so not bad.
What you are saying just isn't true. trifoliatea and kumquats will grow unprotected in milder parts of the uk but aren't regarded as true citrus. If regular citrus could grow with ease, they would grow everywhere as the uk has a strong gardening culture. There is no comparison to growing them in nz.
Coastal virginia has a much better chance of producing edible citrus because it only has to contend with cold snaps rather than prolonged damp, overcast cold which weaken a tree.
The ones I find hard to believe are the Long Island ones.
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