Wednesday, December 30, 2009

citrus

Maybe it's because I'm from an area where it snows and people ice fish in the winter. I have a cherry tree in the back yard and grew up with apple trees. We live less than a mile from an apple orchard where we get our apples. While I like apple and cherry trees and love the fruit, they do not have mystique. Citrus trees have mystique to this son of the rust belt. The Rockefeller Park greenhouse has a couple of dwarf lime trees, but the ground crew dig them up in the early fall and bring them into the greenhouse. I know intellectually that citrus trees in someone's back yard is no different than my cherry tree. But emotionally I am always thrilled like a little kid seeing citrus trees growing just about everywhere when we visit southern California. Annie took Pat and I to a city park where the remnants of a once vast orchard are preserved. We take fall visitors to apple orchards to pick apples.





4 comments:

Noelle Johnson said...

Hi Jim,

Isn't it funny how different our perspectives are because of where we live? Citrus have been a part of my life since I was born. There are huge communities here in the Phoenix area where citrus trees are grown in the front yard too. BTW, I would love to see a real cherry tree ;0)

Lona said...

Wow, they were really loaded. It is amazing to see yellow and orange fruit on trees instead of red apples or peaches.
I keep forgetting to ask you the name of your giant blue hosta. Is in Blue Mammoth?

Rebecca @ In The Garden said...

I understand completely how you feel. Living in the frozen north, I was fascinated by the large expanses of citrus trees when visiting California. I think orange trees are especially stunning.

Anonymous said...

I agree! Apple trees bo-ring? But I've never seen a citrus tree above say 2 feet tall in real life. Groves of them would be aMAZing!