Sergey, Sorry for being so late with this post. The roses having been my focus so far; now I am turning to my fruit trees (It's pruning time!) Anyhow, I live in Santa Monica, about twenty blocks in from the ocean and have been growing peaches, apricots, figs, loquats, guavas, most of the citrus, blueberries, boysenberries and frais des bois for twenty years. Dave Wilson, as others have mentioned, is the single best resource both for trees and information. Armstrong's Nurseries carry their plants and will order anything they don't have on stock, but so will many of the smaller independent nurseries. I am also partial to Pacific Tree Farms down in Chula Vista and in addition have bought the odd tree at the Santa Monica Farmers Market, the Huntington Library Spring Sale and the Papaya Leaf Nursery out in Grenada Hills. Again, as others have suggested, the key is to plant trees with the right chill-hour needs for our area. The trees I planted twenty years ago, when there just weren't that many low-chill varieties around have been supplanted by varieties that sound much better to me. Mid-pride grows an enormous number of peaches which tend to ripen all in one week at the beginning of July each year. Some years they taste great, other years just bleh. I did use a weekly foliar spray of kelp this year and had a bonanza year of good tasting fruit on every plant. If you are starting from scratch I would seriously recommend Dave Wilson's suggestion to plant four different varieties in one hole to spread out your harvest time. All the details are on his website. About six years ago I put in a Goldkist apricot, which again I believe has been supplanted by better varieties (I have my eye on that Joe's Italian and also the white apricot being discussed on some stone fruit forums) but since it took forever for my apricot to bear (it doesn't get a lot of sun) I am reluctant to pull it. You will discover that on the coast that while we are certainly warmer than Russia, we don't get as much heat as some low-chill varieties need for good ripening. A lychee I bougth in Grenada Hills with fruit, refuses to bear down here. So talking to people in your area that have fruit trees is wise. If you find a club, I would love to know about it. I have been gardening solo since I left Hollywood and its wonderful community garden twenty-one years ago. But hey, you're in California now! Don't ignore the satsuma tangerines, the Meyer lemons, the figs and other trees you couldn't grow in Russia. And persimmons! I am trying to find room for one (or three) now. Good luck. Write back if you need more specific info. PS I am all organic if that matters to you.

I can fully understand wanting to do as you suggest if there's a space issue! The only thing I would add to the excellent advice above is to put a lot of effort into site preparation. I have lousy soil in my yard, but lots of fruit trees. Each hole is five feet across, and at least three feet deep...four to five feet deep if the tree has a long tap root. If you're planning on spacing about three feet for four trees (and the soil is questionable), I'd recommend the hole be twelve feet across, and around four feet deep. Amend the soil with plenty of fine pine bark mulch, but here's the caveat: the mulch has to have enough time in the ground to compost before you add the trees. Some mulch available is already close to breaking down, and will do this in relatively short time. Others are more fresh and may require more time. A hole the size I would recommend for you would require perhaps 8-12 bags. They run about $2.50 each at the big box stores. If you notice, most fruit trees available for sale are grown in a "soilless mix" which has a heavy component of bark. It's naturally acidic, and provides a nice addition of organic matter. This sounds like a lot of trouble, but if your previous tree didn't do well, it may indicate a soil problem in addition to lack of pruning. You'll have to be the judge. I would also recommend the product linked below. I believe it's heavy on the boron, but it has other trace minerals as well. -Bruce Here is a link that might be useful: Fruit Tree Build-Up Formula

Erin, a few things right off the bat. Check the roots to see if you're dealing with rot rot. What potting soil do you have this little tree in? Secondly, 40 degrees is nothing for citrus, especially most mandarins (especially if it's a Satsuma variety, extremely cold tolerant). BUT, we did have temps below that recently, depending on where you are in relation to the coast. Where are you, exactly? I'm in Vista, about 6 miles inland, but up in the hills, so it's milder on my property, save for some cold pockets (my lot slopes downhill, north to south, so the south side of my lot is literally a hole that the cold air rolls down into and sinks - only 1 citrus tree down there and it's a variegated lemon that is holding its own, amazingly, right next to an avocado tree, also hanging in there!) I think you've probably got either a bad case of root rot, or some sort of extensive root damage. Can you not plant this poor little guy in the ground?? Here are the 3 main things that can cause catastrophic leaf drop (these come from the Univ. of Az Coop Extension, very helpful info and quite applicable to us in the San Diego area): 1. Over fertilization. Prevent by following fertilizer application instructions on the product. Treat by watering heavily to flush the fertilizer below the root zone. 2. Inappropriate watering strategy, too much, or not enough water: As a general rule citrus need a deep watering once a month in the winter and once a week in the summer (in ground suggestion, NOT for potted plants, it may be less frequently in the winter, unless we get Santa Anas, more frequently in the summer, especially if very hot. Use the "index finger" test to tell.) Apply water to the entire root zone, well out beyond the drip line. Apply enough water to wet the soil at least a foot below the surface. Check the depth of the irrigation with a long handled screw driver, you will only be able to push the screw driver as deep as the water has gone. 3. Citrus Mesophyll Collapse: Grapefruits are particularly susceptible but any citrus may be affected. It is not uncommon for grapefruit trees to be affected and other nearby citrus to be fine. Leaves and fruit of citrus trees dry up and drop. Stems and branches remain green and living. Rarely is the whole tree affected. Mesophyll collapse occurs when there are unseasonable weather changes. For example if it gets abnormally cold in October for several days and then heats back up above average temperature in November. This fluctuation stresses the trees as they kick into and out of and then back into their winter slow down. It is especially stressful after a dry summer. MANAGEMENT: Remove fallen fruit to prevent attracting fungal and bacterial diseases. Continue to water the tree on its normal cycle and it will leaf-out again in the spring. Do not prune out the defoliated branches until spring, and then only after the tree has completely leafed out. Adding this: Start fertilizing as SOON as you see any sign of leaf push. I had this happen to two of my in-ground grapefruit and was horrified. Was glad to know this was the cause. Happened last winter when we had all the cold, wet weather. Totally freaked out my lovely Rio Red grapefruit. And the owner. Patty S.

Believe it or not, I saw them being sold in Arkansas. They were at K mart of all places, in Little Rock, AR. I was driving in the parking lot of the shopping center, and what do I see but the familiar plumies. I had to stop to look at them just on the very, very, very slim chance that they could be some sort of cultivar. If I remember correctly, they were in gallon pots. Don't remember if I saw the price or not. I did not buy any because they were not a cultivar that I know of, nor did they say the color I don't think. As I have probably nearly a hundred plumies, I did not buy more generic ones. I am mainly looking only for cultivars I do not already have, or fantastic colors of non-cultivars. I only saw these plumies once at K mart, that one time they were on the curb in front of the store. But thinking back, I did see them also in Home Depot in Little Rock, too, once or twice, if I remember correctly - again, not cultivars. And, on a trip out to the country looking for native plants at a seller a couple of hours north, maybe northwest, of Little Rock, there was an additional nursery (not the native seller) that had several tropicals, including some large plumerias. Although their gate and sign were open, no one was on the property that I saw, so we left and I did not get to inquire about price or variety. That is a great buy on plumerias there in So California. I'm happy for you, and know you'll love them. I agree, post pics if you want when they bloom.