You can't grow these outside. Not in winter, anyway. I have one in a pot, but it comes indoors in winter.

don't bother buying them, lemon lime and orahge grow really easily in any compost from seed

But seed grown trees will either not produce fruit or will give you poor quality after a very long wait. I assume Mully wants fruit. I have a Meyer lemon which, what with global warming, only needs to be in the porch from mid- December to March unless a severe frost is threatened. It produces a lot of fruit.

Mully, No answers from NI, so.... It all depends on your minimum temperature. Last winter here had several nights at minus 5ºC and a couple at minus 6. Many mature citrus trees were severely damaged with lemons killed - oranges, tangerines etc. will stand a bit more frost than lemons.

Raising from seed is not necessarily as bad as Flora says. Most citrus are in fact clonal (polyembronic seeds to use the correct expression) so they will be a replica of the parent tree. However, should you grow from a "non-polyembronic" seed (there is probably a proper word for that too)then you might or might not be lucky as fruit quality is variable. I have no idea how you can tell, maybe somewhere there is a varietal list that has the info. I also remember from my time in Australia that it was suggested the tangerine types could produce good fruit but with many seeds, although that info is hearsay. Old McDonald.

Thanks for all the replies, I guess then that it is possible to grow these tree's in the UK but that they must be protected in the winter against frost.

Still unsure about where is best to get them, in general they do not seem to be widely available here. Really interested in Orange / Lemon and Lime, anyone know any good spot on web ?

Hi... I just found this now...
I don't know how good the plants are or anything... But Im going to buy a fig from them...
they have lemon plants too...

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=4381801182&ssPageName=MERC_VI_RSCC_Pr4_PcY_BID_Stores

Good Luck!

Old MacD is right about growing them from seed. Some oranges, most lemons and a few other Citrus have the useful qualities of producing several seedlings from a single seed. Discard the weakest grower, which is the result of cross pollination and the rest will be carbon copies of the parent plant. However, you may have to wait anything up to 10 years to see them fruit. Grafting them onto Poncirus stocks will bring fruiting forward as well as increase hardiness slightly. When you think about it, the outlay of £20 or so for a fruiting plant is not a lot in view of the time saved.

As to growing Citrus out of doors, 'Meyer' is a good and relatively hardy lemon for sheltered spots and in some years can produce very acceptable crops. Hardiness-wise, they can cope with an occasional minus 5C and have no problems with minus 1 or 2C. True limes are quite frost tender and aren't really worth trying unless you bring them indoors for the colder months. A few oranges such as 'Valancia' can be persuaded to grow well outside in warm areas (I've had one out for 5 or 6 years without problems), but the quality of the fruit is poor and they are solely of ornamental value. Mandarins and Satsumas can be OK especially if you can get the flowering sychronised so that they complete their ripening during the summer and warmer autumn months.

Related to Citrus proper and well worth a try in warm gardens with only the occasional light frost are the Kumquats - Fortunella sp. They are very ornamental, compact growers and can produce reasonable quality fruit in a good summer. The Nagami Kumquat (Fortunella margarita) with its oval, orange fruit is the most successful and decidedly palatable when fully ripe. There are some impressive large plants, which fruit in most years growing in gardens in the south of England. The hybrid 'Calamondin Orange' - x Citro-fortunella mitis is crossed with a mandarin orange and is remarkably hardy. It has long been a popular 'pot plant' with small, rounded fruits that are very tart. However, they are good substitutes for limes, excellent in drinks and make a very good marmalade. Better still, the calamondin is remarkably hardy, easily withstanding a few degrees of frost and frequently producing decent crops in a good summer.

Scale insects love citrus. I have a constant battle with them.

I am in the UK to, but my back garden has been totally frost free since year 2000 and I can grow Swiss Cheese plants (Monstera Deliciosa) outdoor all year round. Can anyone recommend the best varieties for here. It is not cold, but is damp and slug infested. Also I am at the bottom of a steep gorge valley opening out to the sea, so have a shorter day length than normal before the sun disappears behind the steep sides.

Not sure what zone I'm really in. Seems warmer here than Scilley Isles, so could be zone 10, but nothing like UK zone 10 in terms of sunshine, just lack of frost.

So far I have only a Citrus citrandarin changsha which is in flower at the moment, even though tiny.

These are really not outside growers unless your somewhere very mild. I would advise buying from www.ornamental-trees.co.uk, they are fantastic and do deliver.

Here is a link that might be useful: Ornamental Tree Nurseries

I got a great deal on Orange And Lemon Trees That will grow here In The UK! and if all fails the offer you money-back-guarantee

We guarantee your total satisfaction or we will refund your money promptly and courteously - and that's a promise!

Here is a link that might be useful: Grow Your Own Orange And Lemon Trees Here In The UK!

I have orange, lemon and grapefruit that I have grown from seed that are quite happy on my windowsill on the Meath / Cavan border. They would not like it outside. My grandfather had an orange tree that lived outside in Summer only but that was in Suffolk. It had to be brought in every Autumn. Try sowing pips in a heated propagator and they will germinate within a few weeks guaranteed. I nearly have more than I can shake a stick at here now.

This is where I got my lemon (Meyer) I can't remember when I got it but it is definitely over 15 years old now.

Here is a link that might be useful: Source of citrus