Grow lemons on the patio and enjoy the sight and scent of indoor winter blooms with this container-sized Lemon tree! Compact enough even for urban balconies and limited-space gardens, 'Meyer Improved' will begin bearing large, juicy, thick-skinned fruit at an early age and just keep producing!Even if there were no fruit at all, this evergreen would be attractive enough to grow as an ornamental. The leaves are lush and glossy, the small white flowers (arising indoors in late winter, just when the house needs some color and scent!) are intensely fragrant, and the habit is upright and well branched. Depending on the size container and pruning you give it, this tree could reach 8 feet high and 10 feet wide, but can also be kept smaller.
The lemons are the real prize of 'Meyer Improved,' however. They arise in clusters of about 6 after the blooms pass. Thin immediately to about 2 or 3 per cluster, unless you want more plentiful but much smaller fruits. The fruit is very juicy, with an extra-thick skin that's great for zesting. Not just ornamental, these are delicious lemons you will find yourself slicing, zesting, and squeezing all year!
Give this tree plenty of sunshine and water indoors and out. When you bring it inside for the winter, place it before your sunniest window and rotate it frequently to get sunlight to all the leaves. It will reward you with a whole season of beauty before it's time to take it outdoors again for the warm weather!
This lemon is self-pollinating, so you need plant only one. And if you like the idea of growing fruit on the patio, consider pairing it with Avocado 'Don Gillogly,' another container-grown marvel! Lemons and Avocados favor the same conditions and make a fine pair! Zones 9-10.
