NATIVE TO SUBTROPICAL and tropical regions, citrus is a decidedly lesser-known character in the Pacific Northwest pantheon of plants. Did you know that you can grow (relatively) hardy citrus in containers or with varying degrees of protection in the garden? Glossy green foliage, fragrant blossoms and tart fruit await.
I reached out to Troy Picou of Restoring Eden, a home nursery located in SeaTac that specializes in tree fruit. “Growing citrus in the greater Seattle area is a loaded question with a lot of edge cases and qualifiers to any answer,” he tells me.
The nursery offers 14 “cold hardy” citrus varieties, including ‘Flying Dragon’ (Poncirus trifoliata), a unique and exotic citrus relative. The dwarf plant with contorted stems and large thorns is hardy to below zero and typically grown as an ornamental in Puget Sound gardens. ‘Snow Dragon’ is a variegated clone with showy green and white leaves. The flowers, foliage and fruits on these plants are tremendously fragrant, but Picou characterizes the small 2-inch fruit as “seedy and unpalatable.”
Both Yuzu Ichandrin (Citrus junos) and Sudachi, a yuzu hybrid, are hardy to around 10 F and generously produce 3-inch fruits. Yuzu juice, described as sweet and sour with a bitter edge, is often used in Asian cooking and beverages.
Picou says local customers are successfully growing lemons, limes and mandarins, and he calls cultivating borderline hardy citrus varieties in containers “the fun part.” After Yuzu, mandarins and kumquats are the next most hardy citrus — they can withstand temperatures that drop into the 20s. His favorite sweet and juicy mandarin (Citrus unshiu) varieties include ‘Miho Wase,’ hardy down to 20 F, and ‘Owari,’ hardy to 28 F.
‘Eustis’ limequat (Fortunella japonica x Citrus aurantiifolia), a Mexican key lime and kumquat cross with fragrant fruit, is hardy to 20 F. ‘Nordmann Seedless’ kumquat (F. margarita) produces clusters of tart orange fruit with sweet skin and is hardy to 25 F. The familiar ‘Improved Meyer’ lemon (Citrus meyeri) has a distinctly floral flavor and is hardy to 32 F, as is ‘Santa Teresa’ lemon (C. limon) best known as the lemon Italians use when making their famed limoncello liqueur.
As a rule, small citrus fruits ripen quicker in Pacific Northwest conditions and sour fruit doesn’t need as much heat to develop sweetness. Picou adds, “Higher acid (content) lowers the freezing point of the juice so the fruit itself can withstand slightly lower temperatures.”
Given the reality of our region’s wet winters and soggy soil conditions that persist for months at a time, Picou cautions that cold hardiness is only part of the story. “Where clients get in trouble is when they shuffle their citrus indoors too soon and for too long,” he adds. That’s because dry indoor heating defies the environment that citrus need to thrive leaving the stressed plants subject to pest pressure.
For that reason, Picou recommends tucking citrus in containers beneath the eaves of your home where they’ll be out of constant rain and keeping the plants outdoors in all but the coldest snap.
“If you see a night that is going to drop below the temp your particular citrus can withstand then simply move it indoors for the night or until the weather passes,” he advises.
For the truly citrus committed, Picou suggests protecting plants with a frost blanket, heating cables or old-school Christmas lights that radiate warmth for added insurance — “then anything is possible,” he enthuses, including in-ground planting and cultivation of less hardy varieties. For gardeners who don’t want to care for a needy, not-so-hardy “citrus child” Picou says make sure your plants are potted in a well-draining cacti or citrus soil.
All citrus, whether grown in the ground or in containers, require at least 8 hours of direct sunlight and benefit from a sheltered location where the plants will be protected from drying winds. Provide consistent moisture and feed plants with a citrus mix formulated with primary (nitrogen) and secondary nutrients (phosphorus and potassium) fortified with micronutrients. Follow package instructions and begin feeding in early spring as new growth emerges. Stop fertilizing in late summer because new growth is susceptible to cold damage.
Picou says don’t overcomplicate growing citrus in the Puget Sound region. “Protect from constant rain, have a plan in place if temps get cold, plant in well-draining soil and fertilize! Citrus are heavy feeders.”
Restoring Eden
The fruit tree nursery is open Wednesday through Sunday. It is closed on major holidays.
Address: 3501 S. 228th St., SeaTac.
Phone: 253-202-5587
Website: restoringeden.co
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Lorene Edwards Forkner is the author of “Color In and Out of the Garden.” Find her at ahandmadegarden.com and at Cultivating Color on Substack.
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