Oh, no, the Clemnules will do better than any lemon, Carol. Manadarins all in general are more cold tolerant than most lemons (maybe with the exception of the Improved Meyer lemon). You won't need to baby the Clemnules, but you will have to think about where you place that Variegated Pink Eureka. It is variegated, so that's the fist thing you must take into consideration - hot afternoon sun may burn the leaves. Secondly, it's a lemon and not as cold tolerant. My Clemnules also came through that cold snap just fine. And yes, having some time for citrus to get used to cold temps by hardening off (the best that they can), will certainly bode better if you have a serious cold snap. Where you can get in trouble with citrus and cold temps is more in the early spring, when everyone has had a bit of a warm up, sap starts flowing, you start to see a flush and buds, and then you get a wicked cold snap. That's when we and commercial orchardists get worried about cold damage. Patty S.

Thanks citrange, Did some reading and inspecting. I don't know why it didn't occur to me to check the underside of the leaves (even with the limited gardening I've done in my life, that's something I should have thought of). I think you may be right about the leaf miners. I've included a photo of the underside of a leaf I removed from the tree. There is an obvious trail, and the leaf surface around that area is shiny. Can anyone confirm leaf miner activity from this photo? Also, how long does it typically take for new growth to change from light green to the darker green of more mature leaves? The first flush of growth on my tree seemed to take about a month; is this what I can expect? I'm asking because I want to make sure I don't miss a sign of nutrient deficiency. I know I'm asking a bunch of questions in this post! Can I ask one more? :-) Is the roots growing out of the bottom of the pot a sign that the tree needs to be potted up? I know from my reading that citrus likes to be somewhat rootbound and potting up should be done gradually. This tree hasn't been in the pot but three months; I'm thinking it's too soon to pot up, but those roots have me worried! Thanks! Michelle

Erin, are you saying your dogs use your plants as well, a fire hyrdant? Backyard? If so, keep your citrus far away from your furry friends. Pet's can really get into trouble, I know..My dog, an English Mastiff, doesn't really bother my plants, but I've caught him outside, ripping ferns out of the soil. I planted 4 banana trees in the back yard this spring, and 2 mysteriously disappeared. I don't know if he got at them, or our squirrel foes. I do not like squirrels. (S) If you find your dogs wee-weeing in the soil, I suggest you leach them. Urine can burn roots. Since I'm in Il, z5, winters turn arid, especially once the heat is turned on. Your best best is to buy a humidifer..standard size. Home Depot sells standard humidifers from 99-129.00..it's worth the investment. Misting foliage helps and so do pebbles as Pelham stated. Change filters on humidifer, otherwise it's just wasting electric. Sun is important, or however much you get where you live..Last winter was the worse ever here in IL. I lost plants because of the dark. Old plants, over 10 yrs old. Last Sat we went to HomeDepot and bought a flourescent light fixture that'll hold two bulbs. I'm going to buy one warm white and one cool white. The area in which my window faces is south and east. I plan on running the lights via a timer which is another great investment. Also, since I'm in Il, I stop feeding in Oct..Actually, last year I gave my citrus a dose of Osmocote fertilizer as a last feeding..Plus I used Fish Emuslsion on leaves as a foliar insect repellent. Worked like a charm...before that, I didn't feed anything after Oct. I find this especially important if winters are dark. Of all I read on the subject, feeding plants where winter light is lacking will only grow spindly growth. I find this to be true. Pelham has a point about the cold,too..I keep most of my citrus in a small gh in winter, the rest come indoors..the gh can get quite cool during the coldest nights of winter, so that's another reason I stop feeding. One more important issue is watering. You do not want soil to stay wet..It's important citrus get a hearty drink, enough until water seeps out of drainage holes, but soil should dry between waterings. Too much water and you have to worry about rot and insects, such as fungus gnats, (for one.) That's all there is to it..Toni

Hey gardengal, What makes you believe it is a dwarf Eureka lemon? What does the label say? Do you know what nursery produced the tree? Eureka Lemons usually have an incompatabilty with dwarfing rootstocks. Here in the central valley of California citrus ranchers usually plant lisbon lemons rather than eureka. They seem to be better producers. Lisbon's also are more adaptable to other than lemon rootstocks.The fruit of both are fairly similar.