Australian Finger Lime (2 trees in containers outside). Fun, very hardy, grows like a weed, interesting conversation plant. Mine are poolside, as well. Just note that they are pretty thorny, so they probably should be set away from walkways or seating areas. Patty S.

Laura - when your bloods start producing you will absolutely crave more (. My fruit actually were the size of small grapefruit this year when I harvested them - I actually kept them on the tree as long as possible, and the last one actually dropped off on its own. Super sweet and fruity. I've thought about getting a finger lime, but just no more room, especially with my grafting - i've got quite a few seedlings for rootstock taking up room. If the Australian finger lime takes after the normal lime, you should get fruits quickly no matter what (regular limes fruit from seedlings 3-5 years). And I assume the red is a mature scion graft, so I'd expect blooms within 2 years given good care (and certainly possible within 1).

I have numerous divisions of Giant Papyrus, papyrus cyperus. These are listed as pond/bog plants but can be grown in a container just like any other plant. I've recently tested its ability to go from pond to container and it started pushing a new frond within a week, with no special treatment or wet conditions. I also have elephant ears, fig cuttings, beauty berry (seeds and cuttings) that I can trade. I would love a finger lime, meiwa kumquat, or Pink lemonade tree. Open to other trades.

I have found that annual dieback is more severe when I fertilise with commercial fertilisers, even when I stick to a weak solution. I now use worm tea and potassium only for the potted ones and this has been the first year that I haven’t had any dieback on any. It’s just slow growing, esp. the bonsai. This is just my own experience of course, but it’s typical for finger lime orchards to suggest light fertilisation or at least definitely a low-phosphorus NPK, as with all Australian plants. Hybrids and New Guinea species would be okay, I guess, since they’re used to phosphorus-rich soils. Anyway, would love to see the progess!