Hi Barrie. If you purchase your citrus tree's on Flying Dragon rootstock you shouldn't have a problem keeping them under 10 ft. In your zone you are going to want to find varieties that don't require a lot of heat to produce good quality fruit. Lemons & Satsuma or Changsha mandarins should do well for you. I make cold frames from 2x4's & 6 mil. plastic & use a light bulb inside on the coldest nights for my limes & lemons...

Just to add to that, if your not interested in taste & only want them for landscaping there are quite a few that will do well in the PNW. Ichang Lemon, Citrange, Citrumelo, Taichang lemon...

You are very marginal for enough heat in the summer to sweeten or ripen any citrus. Even the marginal citrus belt (SE Texas) where I live has a solid 6 months of 90F+ high days. Your zone 8PNW is a far cry from a South Carolina zone 8. Citrus, even the most hardy does not do well for extended periods of freezing weather. I'd recommend growing something good tasting in a heated greenhouse. It is not the average low temperature that freezes out citrus(used to calculate zones), it is the absolute low and the duration of the low. 10F beyond a few hours will freeze any citrus tree. However, I have sent citrus seeds to someone in British Columbia before!

Here is a link that might be useful: mrtexas

Hi MrTexas I would agree, but there are many people pushing the zones & getting away with it. Check out this link to a place in Norway which is about the same as the PNW. Found it on the palm forum.

http://www.florogfjare.no/citrus.html

Here is a link that might be useful: Norway Palms & Citrus.

Another link...

Here is a link that might be useful: Another link

MrTexas,
Good points on all accounts. I selected a low heat requirement citrus (lemon) for precisely these conditions.
I'm under the impression lemon, being tart, requires less less heat to ripen. Sweet citrus needs much more prolonged heat to ripen the fruit.

Laaz,
Great web site! I'll have to explore it further.

P.S. We have a local expert that I can visit. I'd like to prepare myself with some info in advance.

Cheers, Barrie.

Barrie...I live in the PNW also in Washington state. I do grow sucessfully Lemons & Limes & satsuma's & Murcott Tangerines but in small greenhouses 10'x12's and height of 9'. I do not use grow lights for the citrus as I do get light thru the day. But late Oct-March I do have heat to them and keep it at around 60 to 65 degrees.I have dwarf citrus trees and they produce abundantly.You are definately going to need some cover & heat for them thru fall and winter.Mine are grown in containers and do very well.Although I took a gamble this last month a purchased a Rio Red Grapefruit to experiment with and I will surely Baby this one along to some day get fruit.***Suzanne

In Vancouver with a little protection in December and January you can grow many varieties of Citrus. Having a long enough season of hot weather to get the fruit to mature enough to be edible is another thing. However, if you choose from the acid producing fruits your chances will improve. High heat requirements = Sugar concentration. Low heat requirement = Acid concentration. Listed below is the Citrus Heat Requirements (amount of heat required to mature fruit) I have listed the citrus varieties from the highest to the lowest requirements for heat.
Limes
Kumquat
Pummelo
Grapefruit
Sweet Lime
Tangelo
Mandarins
Sour Orange
Blood Orange
Swweet Orange
Lemons
Bearss Lime
Meyer Lemon
As you go DOWN the list the amount of heat units required to mature fruit becomes less and less. Don't confuse citrus varieties that do not require a lot of heat units to mature it's fruit, with how hardy the tree is in cold weather. BTW Vancouver is one of the most beautiful cities in North America. I have been there many times. A really wonderful place. Also a very expensive place to purchase a home. - Miller

Miller ? Ok I'll buy ya few next month when your here for the Expo ;)

Millet,

Thanks for the great info! Everyone else who's contributed I'd like to thank as well. BTW, I don't live in Vancouver BC (a nice enough city but too busy for me). I live on Vancouver Island, about 30 miles west of Vancouver. A nice island stuck out in the Pacific Ocean.

Cheers, Barrie.

Barrie, I have been to Vancouver Island many times (A REALLY wonderful place). I have pretty much been all the way from Victoria to Port Hardy. I was recently there with the American Ivy Society, touring all the gardens, (private gardens closed to the general public and also the public gardens) on the island and then in BC. When there I primarily use the BC Ferry system to go from the island to BC usually out of Nanaimo. I have also taken the hydroplane ferry from Seattle to Victoria, and the ferry line from Port Angeles to Victoria. When you plant the citrus tree you select here is a few items to consider when selecting the best site. Especially in cool or marginal growing areas, such as Vancouver Island, choosing successful planting sites for citrus on your property will involve some common-sense use of microclimates and cultural practices.
By using south-facing slopes and even south sides of buildings and fences, you can maximize heat absorption. Planting at the top of a south-facing slope and avoiding low spots will reduce the risk of frost damage. To increase the heat available to your citrus tree in the summer, choose a wind-free site. Dark background surfaces (walls, buildings) and dark mulches absorb and re-radiate more heat than light-colored surfaces. Culturally, raised beds warm more quickly than compacted soil. Minimize nitrogen inputs from mid summer onward to reduce frost-susceptible new growth in fall and winter. Higher moisture levels in the soil also help reduce frost damage. There may be times when some sort of frost blanket makes the difference between life and death for your citrus tree. One cold hardy citrus tree I would consider would be a Thomasville Citrangequat. The fruit has a sweet orange-lime taste with no off flavors, good quality. Hardy to 10F (-12C). Even if the fruit does not aciheve enough heat units every year to totally "ripen" the fruit, it makes an excellent lime substitute from about mid-July onward. You can eat it out of hand by late November or early December. Take Care - Millet

Millet,
Well it looks like I have all the requirements needed albeit dark surfaces (walls etc). I have a cactus and succulent garden that bakes in the summer sun, without dark walls. Temps in this garden (with a white wall) get into the 90's to nearly 100F during the heat of summer. A dark wall would push those temps over the top!
I'll have to special order thru a nursery, any citrus recommended. Most of what's normally offered here is never considered anything more than a summer patio plant. Shortsighted nursery people are plentiful here.

As a side note, I live and work in the Nanaimo area of Vancouver Island. I've worked for the BC Ferry system for 24 years, and have met many people from all over the world. People ask me where I vacation, I tell 'em "I live in vacation land" I don't have to go far from home.

Cheers, Barrie.

Check with Stan Mckenzie, last I knew he shipped to Canada.

Laaz,
It clearly states on his web site, "No shipping of citrus to California, Arizona, Texas, or Florida and no shipping outside the US."

Hey Barrie -

I'm growing a Changsha, Meyer Lemon and a Honey Murcott outside. I live about 15 miles SE of Seattle. The Meyer and Changsha are doing well, but the Honey is just sulking. I think I was too optomistic in trying that one.

The are all in South facing locations (near the house). I have gotten little lemons so far, but that's about it. They didn't seem to do as well this summer, probably due to the lower amount of heat as compared to the previous year.

- Paul