My tiny but fragrant orangery
I have always loved the idea of being able to grow citrus indoors in a greenhouse, safe from the cold of winter. The very first orangery I ever visited was at the Château de Versailles in France. King Louis XIV found the aroma of citrus blossoms so intoxicating that he had an enormous glass structure built to house more than 3,000 trees. This building was heated through the winter with a coal furnace, providing a warm environment where the citrus could flourish in an otherwise impossible climate. I also toured fabulous orangeries in England and the very famous one at Mount Vernon, Virginia, the plantation home of George Washington – the first president of the United States. My citrus collection pales in comparison to any of these, but it’s still fun to grow, fun to eat, and heavenly to smell. I also must tell you that Logees is a great source for tropical plants, including citrus.
How wonderful that you have your very own collection of citrus trees. I, too, am intoxicated by the scent of orange blossoms! Traveling to South Florida, in a vehicle with the windows open during the blooming season of the citrus orchards is almost too sweet. You can almost taste the scent in the air. It's one of the most pleasant natural fragrances I've ever experienced.
Posted by: Frances Jackson | March 10th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Dear Martha,
what a great "orangerie" you have, Louis X1V had silver pots made for his, but eventually they had to be sold to pay for a war.
When cumquats are in abundance they are wonderful in a large clear glass vase to hold your flowers in place and looks great.
Hope you are feeling a little better after such sorrow.
Kindest regards,
Posted by: Robyn - Aussie girl | March 10th, 2009 at 7:08 pm
I love this idea - I think you may have just cost my husband a few $$$, though he doesn't know it yet. We were talking the other day about how much we are going to miss being able to step outside and pick a lemon, etc when we head home in a year or two; but figured they would never survive in the Pacific Northwest - I think I'll start looking at greenhouse catalogs
Posted by: Christine | March 10th, 2009 at 8:47 pm
I was wondering if you have to have bees in your orangery to pollinate?
Posted by: Mike | March 10th, 2009 at 9:50 pm
Hi Martha,
They all look so good. The pots look very small for such large plants though - is there a reason for smaller pots?
Pru
Posted by: Pru | March 10th, 2009 at 10:54 pm
Good morning! To answer a few questions -
Pru, the citrus are planted in larger pots when they become pot-bound. Too large a pot will not give them the proper root support.
Mike, Yes, during the day, the doors to the glass house are kept open and my honey bees make frequent visits to pollinate.
And Christine - A very excellent catalogue is Logee's Tropical Plants http://www.logees.com
Posted by: Martha Stewart | March 11th, 2009 at 12:38 am
I was trying to imagine Louis XIV and his 3,000 trees! How amazing that would have been.
Thanks for sharing your wee orangery. The kaffir lime was interesting, I've never seen one.
Cheers, Shelagh
Posted by: Shelagh | March 11th, 2009 at 1:18 am
Dear Martha,
My heart was broken for you over the loss of your puppy. I cannot imagine what I would do if that happened to us. We love our little chihuahua, Hercules. And you have always shown how much you love your dogs!
You are in our thoughts!
Noreen Forest
Posted by: Noreen Forest | March 11th, 2009 at 1:37 am
I use to live next to an orange grove when I lived in the desert. The scent was so overwhelming I would get horrible headaches, it was bittersweet. Think I'll go have an orange now
Posted by: Kari | March 11th, 2009 at 2:27 am
Hi Martha,
My honeybell tree is a cutting from one I lost in a storm and although the leaves are green and it has grown tall, it may be a few more years before it blooms. I cannot wait! The scent of orange blossoms is definitely unbridled pleasure. The tree used to be outside my computer room and in the later part of the year, it was always nice to leave the windows open and be intoxicated, and then it would produce fruit in January. You have some great citrus trees in your orangery and a banana tree too. I’m impressed but of course, you do have a green thumb! Trish
Posted by: Trish | March 11th, 2009 at 3:01 am
Martha, How very wonderful that you have your own citrus trees and fruit. Do you have fruit all year or just seasonally? I noticed both blossoms and ripened fruit. Could any varieties be grown in a sunny room in a home?
Barbara
Posted by: Barbara | March 11th, 2009 at 3:06 am
Hello Martha,
This is a new one to me, and a very interesting history, too. Thanks, as always.
Posted by: tinay | March 11th, 2009 at 3:18 am
How exciting to see your orangery! Thanks for sharing the pictures and please keep us updated on your production.
As a child, I was lucky to have several citrus trees in our yard. I remember being instructed to go outside and pluck some of the blossoms from the various branches. I was told that it would make the tree produce better fruits because it would reduce the total yield, allowing the tree to spend more energy on the buds that were left to grow.
Is there anything to that? I suspect it was just to get five children out of the very tiny house. LOL
Posted by: Lara Piper Hull | March 11th, 2009 at 4:25 am
Dear Martha,
Reading, and getting inspiration from your fabulous garden is something I truly enjoy! So thank you for sharing your passion for gardening with us
I'd love to see a new garden book from you! Do you have any plans for that? I have both the Month by month one from 91, and your Gardening 101 from 2000, and I adore them!
Love,
Monica
Posted by: M&Co | March 11th, 2009 at 5:17 am
Hi Martha,
I am so sorry for your loss.
We humans do have a wonderful way of just putting one foot in front of the other, day by day, and the pain of this will ease away, in time.
God is with you and all of us.
Susie from Vancouver
I just love your comments each and every day. Take care.
Posted by: Susie | March 11th, 2009 at 5:27 am
King Louis XIV was right on...Orange blossoms smell absolutely heavenly!
Posted by: alina | March 11th, 2009 at 6:25 am
Years ago, you had an article on I believe it was called "garden indicators", where it was time to do something in your garden if the other thing was happening.
For instance, in our area if the forsythia are blooming it is time to prune your roses.
Or my Grandpa's, if the leaves on his oak tree are as big as a squirrel ear, it't time to plant corn.
I have looked in by back issues of Martha and can't seem to locate the article. Is this information on your website somewhere?
Posted by: Patty Kaija | March 11th, 2009 at 6:42 am
I love my orange tree, which I grew from just a twig, purchased in Florida many years ago. I do want a Meyer Lemon tree, but I think the next purchase will be a fig! I see Logee's has several available.
Posted by: Becky | March 11th, 2009 at 7:20 am
I had no idea citrus fruits and their flowers could be so exotic. I shall not take them for granted again!
Posted by: Melissa Gutierrez | March 11th, 2009 at 8:25 am
I am so sorry to hear the news about your new puppy's death, along with all the other dogs. It really breaks my heart, especially after seeing that dear little dog face in the pictures on your blog. My heart goes out to you, Karen Tracy and the owners of the dogs who were boarding at the time of this fire.
Posted by: Connie Archambault | March 11th, 2009 at 10:31 am
It's near the end of the work day today - Wednesday... I began to post this morning but didn't feel the creative juices flowing so I quit and erased what I had written. Now, after reading today's posts, I feel that I can contribute something read-worthy (or so I think).
To me, Martha, your orangery IS worthwhile, with manymany impressive citrus trees that look good and healthy, and full of shiny, glossy leaves. The buds and open blooms are awesome to me for several reasons. Much to my chagrin, though, the closest I've been to blooming citrus' aromas is probably the mock orange, which of course, is NOT an orange tree/shrub! I can say that I know what a room full of orchids smells like, but I can't even fathom the aromas of a blooming orange grove - the 'unbridled pleasure and intoxication', as Trish says! This has to be soooo neat for you fellow-readers in those parts of the country! I've been to nearby Mount Vernon several times but don't remember Washington's orangery - I do remember, however, the conservatory (with palladian windows [to die for!]...and muchly coveted bell jars - OMGoodness!...), of which I viewed from the outside - the citrus trees were prob'ly inside and I didn't notice them! I missed 'em! Our passions change, you know, with the cycles in our lives...
To LaraPiperHull, yes, there is merit in what you were instructed as a child when you thinned out some of those blooms. It does allow the surviving blooms to, as you said, expend energy into forming larger fruits, and the same would apply to existing clumps of fruits already formed - whatever is left after thinning results in larger, more robust fruits or blooms (like African violets, roses, dahlias, etc.) Mom knew what she was doing! [wink]
To PattyKaija, it is true that the [foolproof] general rule of thumb for pruning roses in the spring is "when the forsythia blooms, it's time to prune". I learned this manymany years ago from a coworker who was also a rosarian - a many-times-over blue ribbon winner in rose shows who raised a hundred or so roses in her town-sized-lot backyard. When it came to roses, she was the go-to!
Ah, springtime! It sure is taking it's good ol' time getting here!
=^..^=
"Just as there comes a warm sunbeam into every cottage window, so comes a love-beam of God's care and pity for every separate need."--Nathaniel Hawthorne
Posted by: Cindy Bricker | March 11th, 2009 at 11:05 am
Hi Martha! Love the pictures dear! I really wish you can visit Lebanon and see the beauty of nature God gave us. Kindly check this link and see the beauty of my country. I know how much you appreciate nature and how much you love photography. http://www.pascalbeaudenon.com
Thank you
God Bless you
Regards,
Rowaida Flayhan
Posted by: Rowaida Flayhan | March 11th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
Dear Martha! love the pictures! thank you for sharing. In Lebanon we use the Orange blossoms water in sweets and we add to porridge. We even add it to lemonade it taste so delicious and so refreshing.
Regards,
Rowaida
Posted by: Rowaida Flayhan | March 11th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Your close up shots are my favorite photographs on your blog ever...perfect aperature to highlight the lovely plants. Great work!
My heart goes out to the poor woman who lost her dogs and home, that is tragic. We had to put our dear old dog Barley to sleep this week and it broke my heart...I can't imagine loosing everything like she has.
http://www.snickerdoodles.typepad.com
Posted by: kerry macLeod | March 11th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
Ms. Stewart...I am terribly hurting for you in the loss of your lille Kahn...He was so cute. I know your others will calm you but never take his sweet place in your heart.
Posted by: Jan Cook | March 14th, 2009 at 8:47 am
In the 1950s, we use to drive by the orange groves in Calif. and it was really amazing to be overwhelmed with the perfume in the Spring and a strong freshness of the smell of oranges as they grew. Ni
Posted by: Ni | March 15th, 2009 at 1:05 am
Dear Martha,
The orangery is great. I have one question. Are there bees that pollinate the fruit trees or do they have to be pollinated artificially? I have always wondered about that in greenhouse environments.
Thanks,
dann
Posted by: dann | March 16th, 2009 at 8:11 am
Hey Martha,
First off, I am very sad to here of your loss of Ghangis Khan, I voted for him during the time you were picking pups. Sorry for your loss, Martha.
I love your Citrus collection,recognizing many of them. I live in Florida and enjoy citrus on a regular basis. I am married to a man from Cambodia and immediately recognized the "Kaffir Lime". We or I should say "HE" uses the leaves in dishes such as Curry. My 83 year old mother-n-law has her own tree, and she lives in North Carolina. She uses it for all kinds of delectable dishes. I am also familar with the Ponderosa Lemon, lots of lemonade for me, but like you, Martha, my favorite is my Meyer Lemon. It has wonderful flavor and is so versatile in the kitchen. As a matter of fact I discovered it because of YOU. I was watching your original show done at Turkey Hill years ago, You had a segment on citrus, and raved about the Meyer lemon being the best. I went out and bought one,and now, like you call it my favorite. Well, Martha, heres to sunny summers and lots of Lemonade and Lemon Pies.
Happy cooking, Judy
Posted by: Judy | March 24th, 2009 at 10:09 am
Hi Martha, I missed this and the next two blogs back in March when my computer crashed. I finally looked this up and I am so glad I did. I absolutely love your orangery and the variety of citrus plants that you have in your beautiful greenhouse. Your photos are really great and I can almost smell the beautiful blossoms. I have one Meyer lemon that survived the winter in my garage. It now has new growth and lovely, fragrant blossoms. The weather is now cooperating and I can put it outside. Hope to have some wonderful Meyer lemons. Jan
Posted by: Jan Erickson | May 25th, 2009 at 1:48 am