Clearly, being in Madison WI isn't restricting my imagination. I've borne citrus for in my dreams for sixteen weeks, in research for sixteen days and now in a wad of sixteen ten dollars bills.
Nature intended these evergreen leaves, fragrant blooms and tropical flavors for USDA 9-11 zones, or temparatures above 30F. But man would resign to that; or should I say one eager one must have these in Zone 4. Well, it turns out that many wise men thought of this decades before I did.
In 1946, a curious soon-to-be nurseryman named Floyd Dillon decided there was a need for a California version of the dwarf apple and pear. He chose citrus as the ideal candidate. As he later wrote in 1959: "What better specifications could be written for the ideal patio plant than to take everything offered by the standard commercial citrus and dwarf it to patio size, capable of being grown in a box or tub, raised bed or border, either espaliered or in its natural form?"
"If the virtues of citrus could be had in an eight-foot tree, capable of producing fruit two years after planting, if numerous cultivars and novelties were available, if all cultivars could be uniform in size -- then we would have the ideal patio tree."
After several years of experimentation, Floyd founded Four Winds Growers. For my part, I transmitted my digits through their secure online ordering system and am eagerly awaiting a UPS drop off with my healthy 2-3 year citrus.
Nature intended these evergreen leaves, fragrant blooms and tropical flavors for USDA 9-11 zones, or temparatures above 30F. But man would resign to that; or should I say one eager one must have these in Zone 4. Well, it turns out that many wise men thought of this decades before I did.
In 1946, a curious soon-to-be nurseryman named Floyd Dillon decided there was a need for a California version of the dwarf apple and pear. He chose citrus as the ideal candidate. As he later wrote in 1959: "What better specifications could be written for the ideal patio plant than to take everything offered by the standard commercial citrus and dwarf it to patio size, capable of being grown in a box or tub, raised bed or border, either espaliered or in its natural form?""If the virtues of citrus could be had in an eight-foot tree, capable of producing fruit two years after planting, if numerous cultivars and novelties were available, if all cultivars could be uniform in size -- then we would have the ideal patio tree."
After several years of experimentation, Floyd founded Four Winds Growers. For my part, I transmitted my digits through their secure online ordering system and am eagerly awaiting a UPS drop off with my healthy 2-3 year citrus.
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