Growing Citrus: The Essential Gardener's Guide

by Martin Page

The unique foliage, aromatic flowers, and dramatic colors of citrus add an exotic touch to the garden, terrace, deck, or balcony. The delicious and nutritious fruits they harvest are a draw to an ever-increasing number of people interested in growing their own food. Martin Page charts the introduction of citrus to the western world, celebrates their unique flavors and diverse uses, and recommends the best varieties for garden cultivation. The detailed cultivation advice describes how to grow the trees in all climates, includes tips on overwintering, and shows how to tend to trees in pots, small gardens, and greenhouses. Includes oranges, lemons, limes, tangerines, clementines, and many more. Growing Citrus is the definitive guide to growing the world's most important fruit crops and will inspire the enthusiastic home gardener to grow their own.

Genres: Gardening, Nonfiction

192 pages, Hardcover

First published December 1, 2008

About the author

There is more than one author with this name

Dr Martin Page is an English botanist, ecologist and plant photographer.

Page was born in Birmingham and educated at University College, Swansea, taking his PhD at the University of Exeter. In 2001 he became news editor of The Garden, the magazine of the Royal Horticultural Society, and since 2005 he has worked as an ecological consultant. Page is an expert on peonies and President of the Peony Society (UK). [wikipedia]

Reviews

[Marian]

I really enjoyed the beautiful photos of citrus fruits in this book. It was too technical, and about the diseases of citrus fruits, their plant genealogies etc. I just wanted to learn how to grow a little Thai lime leaf tree in my yard here in TX. The book was a wet blanket of my orangery dreams. Yep, It looks like too much work!

[LG]

Pest section did not include fungus gnats (my current problem). Information a little too shallow for me.

[Jwt Jan50]

First, I have a 'black' thumb. Plants wilt when I talk to them. The wife is pretty good. Her Dad never missed a day in his garden. My Mom's Florida orange tree bore fruit the size of grapefruits. So, we planted a lemon, a lime and an orange tree in our back yard. I read Page, everything else I could find and chatted up all the local nurseries. Drought. Santa Ana winds. Family stuff. The lemon and the lime are flourishing. Thank you Mr. Page. There's ground cover where the orange use to be. If you're thinking about taking the plunge with citrus, read this book (or one equally well written) first.

[Gabby Z]

goes way too deep into varieties of citrus rather than actual growing techniques. no images of pests or diseases which makes diagnosis difficult

[Debra Daniels-Zeller]

I got this book because I was working on a citrus article and became so fascinated with all the information, I decided to read the whole book. From the introduction and history of citrus to the various types to how to grow the trees, I loved learning about this fruit category that doesn't grow willingly in the Pacific Northwest. I want to know what limequats or Australian Dessert Limes taste like. I loved looking at all the pictures. I'm not a skilled gardener, but this book will keep me dreaming about citrus trees for a long time.

[Kimberly Ann]

In containers, conservatories and the open garden. Did you know that an Orangery is an actual building (quite fancy) built to grow citrus in England & other parts of Europe and most of them have now been turned into restaurants and tea houses?

It is as easy to grow citrus in containers as it is in groves?

Not too thrilled about all them bugs.... Grafting came from the ancient Greeks 7 Chinese. You can grow form the seeds, but they become susceptible to root rot, so it's better to graft them.

An entire section of Q&A and "Where to See Citrus".

[Lorilin]

Good info on growing citrus. I was specifically looking for info about lemons, and this book had a lot. It's more comprehensive than some of the other books I've read on the subject, which I appreciate.

[Hazel Rainfall]

Well organized and informative for the person who knows almost nothing about citrus.

[Dalia]

Overall pretty good but I thought there should be just a bit more detail on planting/care.