A starter list of citrus trees for the Southwest garden

The small fruits of the kumquat

Citrus trees are favorites in the Southern California garden, and deservedly so. These trees can grow from dwarfs of only a few feet high to lofty shade trees. They have smooth, glossy leaves and remain evergreen year round. Flowers are relatively small and white, often blushed pink, but they perfume the air with a heady sweet scent. Citrus trees can be decorative in the landscape design. Some dwarfs are happy in large pots – particularly handy where space is at a premium or in higher, inland elevations where these plants need to be moved to areas that are protected from frosty temperatures.  Since there are hundreds of citrus varieties, here is a list of some of the most popular or interesting varieties that do well in Southern California. Plants that come in both standard and dwarf forms have a (D) after the name.

Grapefruit

• Oro Blanco (D)
• Red Rio (D)
• Star Ruby (D)
•    Dwarf
• Cocktail Hybrid

Lemon

• Eureka (D)
• Improved Meyer (D)
• Pink Lemonade (D)
•    Dwarf
• Pomona Sweet

Mandarin/Tangerine

• Algerian (D)
• Dancy (D)
• Gold Nugget  (D)
• Murcott
• Satsuma (D)
• Tango
•    Dwarf
• Honey
• Pixie

 
Lime

• Bearss Seedless (D)
• Mexican (D)
• Mexican Thornless (D)
•    Dwarf
• Kaffir Lime
• Sweet Lime
• Australian Finger

Orange

• Cara Cara (D)
• Fukomoto navel
• Moro Blood (D)
• Robertson Navel
• Valenica (D)
• Valencia ‘Midnight’
• Washington (D)
•    Dwarf
• Sanguinelli
• Tarocco
•  

Minneola-Tangelo (D)

Kumquat

• Nagami (D)
•    Dwarf
• Meiwa

Other dwarfs

• Calamondin
• Fingered Citron
• Pummelo
• Taveres Limequat

The white flowers of this lemon tree may not be showy, but they smell delightful!

There are plenty more citrus tree cultivars and varieties in addition to the ones listed here. These are some of the more interesting, flavorful, available or easy to grow in the Southern California area. As you can see, there are a lot of dwarf citrus trees available so you can find at least one or two spaces to grow them. Choose the best kind for your local soil and climate.

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