When we first moved into our house the backyard was like thousands of other backyards, a lumpy green lawn and nothing else. The people who lived here before had three young boys and a dog, so a plain backyard was a good choice.
But for me, I had plans and ambitions! First I had the lawn removed down to bare dirt. Then I built raised beds and started planting! I intended to grow only things we could eat or that I could sell at my herb shop. I planted rows of lavender and a variety of flowers to be dried for wreaths and bouquets; roses and scented geraniums for potpourri. A lemon verbena and a bay tree, and lots of other herbs for cooking, and I still had room left!
They're blooming!
Saturn Peach (left) Anna Apple (right, in the pot)
Fruit trees were next. Fruit trees are an investment, they often don't bear fruit for several years, so the time to plant them is right now, if not yesterday. The first trees I planted didn't all survive, but I replaced them and bought more. I chose dwarf varieties to save on space and to make it easier to pick the fruit without climbing a ladder.
The other day @cicisaja challenged me to show her my fruit trees – to prove I wasn't hoaxing her! I went out the next day to take photos but was sorry to see how much they had suffered from the blistering summer heat. They were not ready to have their pictures taken! So I turned to my photo files to find some prettier ones to share. They were all taken by me in my very own backyard, just not today.
Looking from the peach tree across the yard to the Meyer Lemon tree.
In the blue pot is the Ana's Pride dwarf peach.
I am now growing a Meyer Lemon (it is more of a bush than a tree and the fruit is sweeter than other lemons), two kinds of limes – Bearss (seedless) and a 'Mexican' or 'Key' Lime (smaller, sweeter, fruit). I chose a thornless variety because my parents grew one with wicked big thorns, a danger when picking the fruit! I also have a Tangerine with too many seeds. I should have chosen a Clementine. But they have a good flavor. A tree I treasure is my Saturn Peach. It is the only one I have that is not a dwarf variety. The fruit is hard to find in stores and very expensive if you do find them because they don't travel well. Later I added two more trees to plant in large pots – a micro-mini Anna Apple and a dwarf Ana's Pride Peach.
Behind the Meyer Lemon are some roses and the tangerine tree behind them
A small tree but lots of lemons!
The Saturn Peaches are ripe!
The apple tree is a micro-mini but has full-size fruit
Can't forget my little Bearss Lime!
The fruit turns yellow when it is ripe.
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Whoooaaa... whoaaa... I can spend a whole day just to admire all those trees and checked on every flower buds before they turn into fruit 😍 Thank you @donna-metcalfe😙 I love that peach too.. and the lemons.. Oh My God, I wouldn't any of the fruits fall to the ground ... gotta think how to make lemon marmalade or candied it too 😂😂😂 Oh No... I'm so excited about the tangerines and apples... you really have that beautiful garden at your backyard.. Now I'm jealous😊
And all of them are organics too... that's crazy awesome small orchard😱 Now I can bluff to my friends here😂😂 that I have friend in USA and she has beautiful orchard where we can pick the lemons and apples before lunch 😄
Yes, it is my little slice of paradise! Except I think in paradise you don't have so much work to do? :-)
I have made marmalade from the lemons and tangerines too. Most I give away because it has too much sugar for me now. I squeeze the juice and freeze it, there is not always fruit on the trees. I have quarts and quarts of frozen juice! I can use it to make lemonade in the summer, and to have handy for recipes. The tangerines don't make much juice, but I freeze some shredded peel and a little juice to make scones for a Sunday treat now and then.
But how many lemons and limes can two people use? I give a lot of them away. When I was a volunteer at the library I took them a big bag of lemons and found they had a table with more bags of lemons that other people had brought - they all come ripe at the same time!
The apples I eat fresh, cut them up for a salad with walnuts and raisins, and sometimes make an apple tart. These apples are good for both, fresh or cooked, one reason I chose that kind.
Yes, you can tell your friends you have a friend with a small fruit orchard - and I can tell my friends I have a friend with a Rambutan tree!
hahahaha... that's a mutual happiness we shared. funny that I can get the fruits in your orchard.. well not quite the same but apples, lemons and peach though expensive in many super market here in Jakarta or other big cities in Indonesia, but it's hard for you to get fresh Rambutan or Bilimbi in your place, but We're blessed! still... I love to be at your small fruit orchard rather than buying it at the super market.
Yes, you see that you are the one with the exotic garden! And not just "hard to get" those fruits here, I would say impossible!
Our gardens might grow different things but as gardeners we are similar. We love our gardens and our plants and get excited to find something new!
totally agree! well.. the real gardener is my hubby and my father in law, while my only best ability in Gardening is take care of the pumpkins and Epiphyllum and both of those plants not native from Indonesia. well.. I think the pumpkin in your place a bit different with pumpkin in my place. But I think... more plants in Indonesia almost similar with plants in Southern America. but you are really at the western side of America, so we have really different climate.
They are the real gardeners but they let you take care of the pumpkins? LOL
Pretty sure you are right about what we call pumpkins and what you call pumpkins. Pumpkins here are orange and mostly round. They are really a kind of squash. There are a lot of different squashes but only the round orange ones are pumpkins! Their seeds make a nice snack when toasted, I haven't heard of regular squash seeds used for snacks!
When you have time I'd be interested to see what kinds of squashes you grow!
Impressive selection of fruit trees. I have an orange, grapefruit and lemon tree. I wish I had a peach tree. We had peach trees at a house when I was growing up. Nice looking backyard @donna-metcalfe
Aren't we lucky to be able to pick our own fruit?
I had a dwarf pink grapefruit tree but gophers ate its roots and it died. I couldn't choose between navel or valencia oranges so I ended up not growing either one! For a while I grew a pomegranate tree but I had chosen one with white fruit. It was called 'Eversweet' and that's all it was - slightly sweet without a pomegranate flavor. It got some disease so I had to take it out. I'm trying to decide if I have room for an avocado tree!
Oh yes, a peach tree - if you have room you should grow one! Fresh fruit, and if any extras make pies or fruit jam!
Hi Donna Nice to meet you I saw your entry through the @pifc and I love your writing. I done a appletree blog from My garden not so long ago.
Do you use the Free app PictureThis is great for plant and tree and flower info to use in your blog. Love to hear from you
It is nice to meet you too!
I read your apple post - 20 apples for your first harvest! That's pretty great! One of my lime trees took 5 years to make its first fruit and then I think there were only 3. Patience rewarded?
I haven't heard of that app but I will look for it. I don't know much about apps in general so it's nice to get a good recommendation, thanks!
WoW lime trees I wish we had one, but the apples Will do😉 got another app just as the first one really easy to use. I hate difficult apps. Steemify its Free and shows Whats happening in your account on steemit
I wish I could grow lemons and other citrus trees over here in Canada. I had a lemon tree growing indoors but the bugs got it before I could saved it. You have a wonderful garden. I had the same idea about just growing food but in time it was nice to have flowers.
Growing flowers - I didn't get into that for this post but that's exactly what happened with me too! Years of growing only practical things, I didn't have time or space for frivolous plants! But one spring at a garden center I went a little crazy and brought home flowers! I tucked them here and there around the 'practical' plants and enjoyed seeing them bloom more than I expected. My new rule is to plant whatever I want whether it has a useful purpose or not! (Or that beauty can be a purpose!)
Sorry to hear about your lemon tree. I don't know what special care it would need in your area. It might need a more controlled climate, like a greenhouse? If you decide to try again a Meyer lemon might be easier, it is more a bush than a tree and easier to keep pruned to a smaller size.
Thanks, I'll be looking for a " Meyer lemon tree " on my next trip to the greenhouse. In south America my parents had about 8 lemon trees around our house and at night you could smell the flowers of those trees, it was a fantastic experience.
Oh yes, it would be worth growing for the fragrance alone! With 8 trees it must have been intoxicating!
Yes, plus we had two gardenia trees to boot. In a tropical climate you can grow many amazing plants, orchids grow wild everywhere. Now we live in Alberta, if we are lucky we could have about three months of fair weather. The growing season is so short and the winters are so long and cold.
Gardenia trees? I don't know a word that goes beyond intoxicating but there must be one. Lemon blossoms and gardenias - yes there must be a word that would describe that! I have a small gardenia and a large jasmine and I think that's pretty great. ;-}
I think you do an impressive job of gardening for the climate you live in!
nice garden!
Where in California?
Near San Bernardino. About halfway between Los Angeles and Palm Springs.