Citrus Tree for the Front Yard

14 years ago

Howdy! Been reading here for quite a while, but first posts... And, while I didn't see this, feel free to point me if it's already been covered.

Anyway: We have been considering replacing the small Crepe Myrtles in our front yard with a Moro Blood Orange and a Rio Red Grapefruit. My better half spent quite a bit of time on a orchard, and I personally would love to have more "functional" trees. :) (The Myrtles will be moved to a good home...)

So...while we've learned a lot, the one thing I haven't been able to figure out is the "style" of tree we've seen in the nursery's. Some are tall with foliage near the top and a clear trunk, some are very bushy, and some are flat tacked to a V shaped trellis.

Ideally, we'd like to raise the most "tree-like" tree possible, so I guess my question is, should we buy a particular type? I'm guessing from a bit of what I've read the "trunk" style will be more "tree-like". And that this may be called the "standard" form? (And had also been looking for places to buy larger/older tree's that what we've seen, but haven't had much luck.)

Hopefully that makes some sense. :) Also..along those lines..would ya'll consider a two-tree setup like this suitable for a front yard? (They would be roughly 30' apart, and 20' from the house.)

Thanks!

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Comments (10)

bierz
14 years ago
Where are you located?

The tree variations are likely due to their rootstock. The trees were likely grafted to a rootstock, probably Flying Dragon. Sometimes they end up bushy, sometimes tall. I Have a few examples of both.

If you want to buy an older tree you may need to order it online. Check out http://www.growquest.com. I've never ordered from them, but I do know that they sell large specimens.
Andrew Scott
14 years ago
Bierz,
OMG....You must be new here right? Never, Never, order from these people or refer someone to order from these crooks! So many people have lost a lot of money from this company or they get something that they didn't order and it is dead! Check out gardenwatchdog.com. There are quite a few negative comments. The positive comments are believed to be left by the owner of this fraudulent company!
Dcatt22,
I really hope you have heard about this place before and you knew not to order from them. If you did order from them, CANCEL YOUR ORDER! PLEASE!!!
Andrew
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dcat22
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks! I'm decent with the veggies, but still learning on the bigger stuff. Also thrown into the mix that I found our water main runs right under one of the existing Crepe Myrtles.

Anyway...I'm in Houston, TX -- so in the 9a area. We might try a Lime and Avocado too, but those would be in big pots vs. framing the front yard like we'd like the Orange/Grapefruit to do. :)

andrew78, no orders yet. Still researching and this will probably be for next spring, but any thoughts on good places to inquire about larger plants would be great. We're of course talking to some local shops too.
dcat22
Original Author
14 years ago
Bierz, regardless of how good the company is...your link does give me an idea of prices to expect for a larger tree ( http://www.growquest.com/Fruit%20trees%20-%20better%20plant/large_citrus_trees.htm ). ie. $800-1500 vs. about $20-80 for the various small plants we've looked at locally.

I think we may just enjoy watching them grow and see what they decide to do. :)
greenleaf_organic
14 years ago
Hey dcat, Maybe you already know this, but in Houston you can check out RWC Nurseries. They have a pretty good selection of citrus, cold hardy avocados, etc. Nice people as well. I recently found and bought two varieties of citrus there that I have been looking for for a very long time. They have a nice website as well. They are on the NW corner of Hwy 249 and Hwy 8.

Roger
tantanman
14 years ago
Dcat:
It is illegal to bring citrus from out of state.
You missed eight great fruit tree sales from growers through gardening clubs& centers...

Some citrus retailers:
JRN Nursery Breen Rd at W.Montgomery Rd
JRN nursery Alief/Clodine or Harwin cant tell where this street changes names.
Cornelius Nursery on Dairy Ashford
Cornelius Nursery on Voss (may be ctill closed from fire]
Maas Nursery Todville Rd
Buchanan's 11th st@Oxford. Orders from Treesearch
Caldwell Nusery Band rd Rosenberg, havnt been here.
Houston Garden Centers all over.
Watch for Tea's to come back at some new location
There are more. Mar have to go a little farther.
Large trees are very costly.
puglvr1
14 years ago
Just a friendly caution/warning...planting fruit trees in the front yard is not a bad idea as long as you know that when fruits are on your tree you will have some two legged varmints to worry about. My Dad has a beautiful Lemon tree in his front yard and I can't tell you how many people steal them. Sometimes they do it in the middle of the night...my Dad would go outside to pick a few, and the fruits are half gone. Just some food for thought.

Unless you have a fence in your front yard...then you have a little advantage. Good luck with your choices.
tantanman
14 years ago
Yea, I know a guy that lost so much friut, he had to add an inedible decoy rootstock tree near the street to deter this.
dcat22
Original Author
14 years ago
Thanks all! Yes, have now realized the out-of-state issue (legal, and suitability) and high cost of larger trees...and thanks for the list of nurseries!

Thankfully, the property is fully fenced/locked...8' metal in front. My veggies are in street view too, and they wouldn't stick around either. ;)
tantanman
14 years ago
About the "style" of tree. Citrus, particularly grafted trees, in our zone should be groomed to have a rounded top with a canopy that just reaches the ground when laden with fruit. This is so the canopy can hold heat from the ground when we get those infrequent freezes.

Don,t "raise her shirt".