A zest for citrus

Oranges, lemons, limes, and more – this diverse group of fruiting plants is great for adding a flavour of the Mediterranean to your house and garden, says Martyn Cox

- Martyn Cox

IF life gives you lemons… celebrate! Like a burst of sunshine with their brightly coloured waxy skins, citrus fruits are rich in nutrients and great for anything from livening up a G&T to squeezing for fresh juice. And although they’re too tender to be grown outdoors all year round in the UK, they do make perfect house plants.

My own passion for them dates back to a holiday on the Amalfi Coast in the summer of 2001. The region is famed as the home of Limoncello, a bright yellow liqueur made from lemons, which are grown in abundance in this sun-kissed corner of Italy. There was a lemon grove next to where we were staying and each evening we would eat outdoors, enjoying the citrus-scented air and tucking into salads drizzled with dressings made from fresh lemons.

Back home, I managed to track down a cracking lemon called ‘Eureka’, which was given pride of place in our bright sitting room. It’s still going strong, producing heavy crops of pale-fleshed fruits all year round. Of course, lemons are far from the only type of citrus. This massive tribe includes oranges, limes and grapefruits, along with mandarins – an umbrella title for a group of plants with small, sweet, orange-coloured fruits, encompassing satsumas, clementines and tangerines.

Winter protection

We tend to associate these fruits with Italy, Spain, the South of France and other sun-soaked Mediterranean destinations, but citrus plants actually originate from China, India and several countries in South East Asia. They are not hardy enough to cope with a typical UK winter but you can grow them in containers outdoors in a sunny spot, for bringing inside before the first frosts. Larger plants will thrive in a cool conservatory, front porch, greenhouse or a large, sunny room, while smaller specimens can be placed on a sunny windowsill.