I live just north of Panama City a few miles, but our wintertime nightly lows can be as much as 10-15 degrees less than those on the coast. I have several citrus trees, some in pots and others in the ground, and I have to do some serious winter-protecting. To grow citrus in this climate, especially a Key lime, you really have to keep an eye on the weather. Key limes are among the most sensitive to cold, and require some form of protection below 35F to avoid damage. The easiest method for you would be to string mini-white Christmas lights (indoor/outdoor) through the branches, and leave them in place year 'round. Since each string of 100 lights puts out 40 watts, a tree the size you described would require the addition of another string or two. Then, when cold weather is forecasted, all you have to do is plug in the lights and cover with a frost cloth. I highly recommend the frost cloths specially made for this purpose. (If you have the thorny-variety, you may want to throw a bed sheet over the branches first. Frost cloths don't handle thorns too well.) I bought a case of the 10x12 size and use them liberally. Make sure the cloths go all the way to the ground, and hold down with bricks. Two or more frost cloths can be joined with clothes pins, or even hemmed together if you want to make them stay in place more securely. If it's windy, lash the cloths with lines tied to stakes. We are relatively new to this area, but people I've spoken to agree that this winter has been colder than others. You may have been fortunate enough the past couple of winters to avoid damaging cold temps enough for your tree to get some size to it. But, you should plan on at least one sub-freezing spell (and possibly more) each winter. Whether or not your Key lime made it I can't say. Don't bother pruning yet, and certainly don't fertilize. You should begin seeing some recovery in a few weeks, if there's still life in it. Keep in mind that if you have a grafted Key lime, it's possible the root will come back but not the graft. That, of course, would not be the tree you want in your yard. Hope this helps. Bruce C.

No, you aren't doing anything wrong. That is what Palistine lime tastes like. I have one too and that is what they taste like. The only thing sweet about it is the name. They are insipidly boring. You might want to try a graft, since you already have good roots there. Also I recomend the thornless Mexican Lime since the standard variety has LOTS of thorns. If you don't want to try a graft, just be sure to plant the next tree a little to one side or the other, not in exactly the same hole as the first tree.

You shouldn't have to prune any of the citrus trees, but if you get a large tree such as a grapefruit or pummelo, then it might be difficult to get the fruit off the top of the tree. I personally would choose dwarf varieties for your situation. Here are the 5 I would choose, trying to keep a variety of both taste and harvest time: 1.) The Fruit Salad tree, just because you said it's one you definitely want...this one may need pruning to keep the tree growing evenly from the different grafts 2.) Moro Blood Orange - my favorite tasting orange, plus interesting fruit color. I ate mine on Christmas in Texas 3.) Mexican Lime - small size, blooms and fruit year-round 4.) Golden Nugget Mandarin - seedless and very late to ripen (like March), so that complements the Honey Mandarin on the salad tree. 5.) Minneola Tangelo - unique flavor to everything else planted I would also strongly recommend tasting these fruits before putting in a tree. Have you tried a Tangelo, and do you like them? Do you use a lot of lemons/limes in cooking and seasoning? Etc. Obviously, don't plant a tree if you don't particularly like the fruit!

Flying dragon reduces size by 40%. Heights should be about 8-10 feet after 10 years. Here is a link that might be useful: mrtexas