The Great Hardy Citrus (& Friends) Pre-Order 

Grow your own citrus outside in coastal BC plus grow an even wider selection with a little winter protection.

Last year our 'Owari' Satsuma Pre-Order was a resounding success. There are now many plants settled in to BC gardens about to spend their first winter. Once they have a year or two of maturity, it will be at this time of year that proud gardeners are harvesting their own satsuma mandarin oranges at this time of year.

The ‘Owari’ satsuma is just one of a number of hardy citrus that can be grown outdoors in coastal BC. There is the Citrumelo hardy grapefruit, the 'Nagami' kumquat and, highly sought after for culinary pursuits, the Yuzu and Suchachi ichandrins which are hardy to zone 7!

We also have an offer another 31 different Citrus and 3 cold tolerant avocados if you have a place where you can keep them above freezing (zone 9 plants) and above about 5-8 degrees Celsius (zone 10 plants) in a greenhouse, sunroom, or inside the house. The plants from this pre-order will be available for pick-up in mid May.

Here is the the story of the 'Owari' satsuma: 

‘Owari’ is a satsuma mandarin orange that is hardy outdoors in coastal BC! Plants form lush, tropical-looking, evergreen shrubs to 5-8 ft tall, bloom with white, incredibly fragrant flowers, and produce excellent crops of sweet, juicy, seedless fruit just like you buy in boxes at the supermarket but these you can pick off your very own tree at Christmas time with crops ripening from early December into February!

The ‘Owari’ satsuma is hardy to about -11 degrees Celsius or zone 8a, the colder end of zone 8. It is best planted in a warm, protected location in the garden against a south-facing wall or fence. A warm, sunny east- or west-facing location might also do. It is also best protected from the rain by the overhang of the house or from constructing a winter roof for it.

 Phoenix Perennials’ resident citrus expert, Larry, has been growing the ‘Owari’ satsuma outside in his Richmond garden since before the Armageddon winter of 2008/09. His plant had only a little damage in that momentous cold snap and no damage at all in any cold snap in any year thereafter. He picks large crops from his tree every year at Christmas time. We have had a taste test of his fruit amongst the Phoenicians and they taste identical to the store-bought fruit. The following pictures you see here are of Larry’s tree taken in December 2015!

This is a picture of Larry's 'Owari' satsuma in his garden taken in early December 2015. 

This is a picture of Larry's 'Owari' satsuma in his garden taken in early December 2015. Fruit are still showing a little green but will continue to turn completely orange by Christmas.

A shot of Larry's tree taken in early December 2015 with some supplemental lighting. His tree is planted in the middle of the garden on the outside south facing wall of his greenhouse. This location will be a warmer microclimate in his garden but the plant is still exposed to the full brunt of winter cold snaps and shrugs them off. 

This is a picture of fruit from Larry's 'Owari' satsuma picked in early December 2015. Fruit is ripe even when the skin is still a little green.

Meet The Other Hardy Citrus: 

Yuzu Ichandrin - Yuzu is prized in Japan for flavoring, juice and preserves producing abundant, easy-to-peel, 3 inch diametre fruit with tasty, lemon-lime flavour. It has also become a hot item for foodies in North America. This Citrus is super hardy to about minus 18 degrees Celsius and can be easily grown outdoors in coastal BC year round. Zone 7.

Sudachi Hybrid Yuzu - Sudachi is a cross of a mandarin orange and yuzu. Sudachi, like yuzu, is prized in Japan for culinary pursuits. The unique, spicy juice is used to flavour soups, sauces (including ponzu), fish dishes, ice cream, and other desserts. The fruit is golf ball sized and is usually picked green when the flavour is more pronounced but can also be harvested once fruit changes to orange-yellow. Higher in vitamin C than lemons. Perfectly hardy in coastal BC down to zone 7!

'Nagami' Kumquat - Kumquats are not well known in North America yet they are a citrus forming delicious, small, egg-shaped fruits 1-2 inches long that have a thin rind and are eaten whole, skin and all. The rind has a sweet/tart flavour and the flesh is sweet giving an overall refreshing and thirst quenching experience. The 'Nagami' kumquat is hardy to zone 8 and can be grown year round in coastal BC. It produces large crops, is very ornamental, and can be allowed to grow as an open shrub or trimmed to keep tight, even as a hedge in protected locations.

Citrumelo - The citrumelo is an intergeneric cross between a 'Duncan' grapefruit (Citrus) and the trifoliate orange (Poncirus trifoliata) whose proper Latin name is xCitroncirus. It forms large grapefruit-sized fruits that are yellow to light orange with thin skin and a flavour like a cross between a lemon and a grapefruit. Hardy in coastal BC to zone 7.

 

AND we are watching relatively new players that are potentially hardy in coastal BC: the mandarin oranges 'Kuno Wase' and 'Miho Wase', the 'Pomona' sweet lemon, and the 'Centennial' variegated kumquat.

You too can own an 'Owari' satsuma or other hardy or non-hardy Citrus or cold tolerant avocado. Click on the link below to explore our selection. 

Give the Gift of Home-Grown Citrus Fruit: If you'd like to give some of these plants as a gift for Christmas, you can download a handy certificate to give to that lucky gardener. Download Now. They can also use the certificate to pick-up their plants in the spring.

Click Register Now to Order

Payment Methods: When you check out click on the Pay with PayPal link. Once there you can use a PayPal account or simply pay with your Visa or MC and PayPal will process the transaction for us. When using your Visa or MC you do not need a PayPal account. Look for the appropriate link. Sometimes the credit card link is less prominent than the link to sign up and pay with a PayPal account.

Canadian Mail Order Customers: While some of these citrus may be added to our mail order system in 2017, this pre-order represents our complete selection for 2017. It is best to place your order here to lock in your selections. We recommend you choose amongst the 4"x9" band pots and the 1 gallon pots for shipping. We have shipped 2 and 3 gallon pots before but, owing to their weight and size they are more difficult to pack and have sometimes sustained some damage during shipping. If you would like us to ship these sizes we can do so but please be tolerant of a little damage if it happens.

When you fill in your info type "SHIP" in the field with your first name so we can identify your order. If you will be placing an order for additional plants through our mail order site in 2017, when you check out from there include a note for us to combine it with your citrus order. If you are only ordering citrus, when we email you in the spring that it is time to pick up, please email us back to tell us you would like your plants shipped. We will ship to you in mid May as soon as your order is complete. Please order a minimum of $40 total in order for us to ship. Regular shipping rates will apply at the time of shipping. These are the Canada Post rates plus an amount to cover our time and materials. We cannot estimate the costs in advance but be assured that we charge shipping on a cost recovery basis only.

 

 

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