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

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

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

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