Murcott Mandarin

The Murcott Mandarin.  After our severe freeze,  I lost 2 Jacaranda trees that were less than a year old.  I decided to change directions and continue on with my fruit garden plans.  I put in two Murcott Mandarins that are labeled as "semi-dwarf"  which means that they will grow to be around 12-15 feet.  This citrus looks like every other citrus tree/bush.  It's evergreen and leafy and needs to be watched close when temps dip below 32 degrees for an extended period of time. The plant needs to have a regular watering schedule and of course fertilized twice a year for that production of delicious fruit.  Both of our Murcott Mandarins are on a dripline. Here is a post I found about this particular variety of citrus....

"I'd quit raving about citrus if I could stop walking into stores and finding new temptations. The latest are Murcott mandarins, a cross between a tangerine and a sweet orange, and they're as easy to peel as a clementine but even juicier/sweeter. Murcott, which I can retain in my cranial sieve because it sounds like meercat, was apparently the middle name of the Florida horticulturalist who developed it, in those halcyon years before GMO soybeans and salmon and flounder genes in tomatoes. Messing with nature used to seem less sinister. Clementine season appears to be winding down, which makes these even more alluring. The best part: Cashiers apparently can't tell the difference. We bought a bunch this morning at the Whole Foods near us after descending the escalator to find a huge display on sale for $1.79 a pound. When I got home, my receipt showed $1.59 a pound for the other orange fruitettes. But these babies are sold with their stems and leaves, which makes them even more seductive. And you're paying for that extra weighty prettiness."
Written by Regina Schrambling on February 25th, 2011. Source: http://www.epicurious.com/articlesguides/blogs/editor/2011/02/murcott-mandarins.html

They are doing well in the landscape.  Again, they are frost tender so protect from freezes.  While I didn't lose my lemon or lime trees completely as they have come back, I am not sure what kind of fruit they will produce.  All the oranges came back strong and I'm going to continue with orange and grapefruit varieties on the property. This is just the latest citrus to experiment with in the garden. Fruit is late bearing around December and January.   Until tomorrow.....