Nicely done! The trunk looks good from what I can see, and the canopy has certainly filled out. Enjoy the winter flowers! Jim

Hi! Chinotto orange is also callex the Myrtle-Leaf Orange (Citrus myrtifolia) it blooms late winter and spring but can flower into summer. The fruiting season is late fall and winter. The ripe fruit can hang on the tree for months! The reference book I have- "Growing Tasty Tropical Plants" says it fruits heavily even small plants. Grow on the dry side as it is susceptible to root rot if potting mix remains cool and wet. Minimum indoor temp is 50 degrees. Hope this helps and good luck! Karen

The "bitter orange" has a three part leaf, unlike the leaf we are used to seeing on citrus trees, and the fruit is only about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. If this is the case with your trees, what you have is Poncirus trifoliata, hardy to zone 6 and used as a root stock on citrus for dwarfing and resistance to root rot. It is used in Chinese medicine and to make a very bitter marmalade. I have made the marmalade and it is improved by adding orange juice (at half the volume of marmalade but the experiments continue). IMO the best feature of this fruit is its fragrance. A small bowl can perfume a room for 1-2 weeks. There are a number of postings on Poncirus trifoliata on this forum. If the leaf is not a three part leaf and the fruit size is about that of a sweet orange, then you are likely to have a sour orange (the Seville orange is a variety of this) which is sometimes called a bitter orange. These are used to make the traditional marmalade (which is less bitter) and the rind is used as a flavoring. One variety is used in Earl Gray Tea. Also 18th century recipes were written for these sour oranges, not the sweet oranges that we use because the sweet oranges either had not yet been introduced to Europe or were still exceedingly rare. I hope this helps you to find a way to make use of these trees. Cath

Thank you Don and Konrad. To my knowledge, nobody else is growing sour cherries within a couple of miles of my trees. There may be some wild, cherry or cherry (choke cherry) related plants in the area though. Maybe I'll be OK on bugs. I do plan on having a bird netting system. One is in place for my blueberries. I hope the bears leave me alone. If not, electric fence is the only answer that I know of. The reason that I posted here rather than the fruit forum was to get specific "cold zone" information. I really enjoy, and browse the fruit forum often. It is a great source of info, but most of the posters, although very adept, are in warmer zones. I feel they may be dealing with different insects than we are. If I can get responses from knowledgeable growers like you guys, that are in similar climates, it may be more meaningful for me.