Citrus tree growing in Suwanee

Mandarin winter

Q: Much to my surprise I noticed this orange tree in Suwanee in October. It was a surprise to see it bearing fruit. 

A: Wow-an outdoor orange tree is unheard of in north Georgia!

Notice the Christmas lights hanging from the limbs. Evidently this is how the owner heats it in cold weather.

My friend and Master Gardener, Eddie Rhoades, has a hardy citrus in Cobb County.

He says: My tree was originally a grafted tree onto trifoliate orange from a nursery in South Carolina(a Swingle citrumello). During a hard freeze the graft died but the rootstock kept growing. The first two times it bore fruit it was typical of Poncirus trifoliata. The third year the fruit was big as an orange with less seeds and a better taste.

Mandarin winter

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