‘Lisbon’ lemon actually came first. It is still grown in orchards for lemon juice and other lemon products. The glossy evergreen foliage is a nice bright green. The late winter bloom is nicely fragrant. Mature trees can be kept about twelve feet tall, or allowed to get much taller. Besides the nasty thorns, the only other problem is that all the fruit ripens within a limited season.
‘Eureka’ lemon, Citrus limon ‘Eureka’, is a mutation of ‘Lisbon’ that is more casual about its schedule. It produces a good quantity of fruit in season through the end of winter, and also produces lesser quantities throughout the year. Because it is so productive, the lesser quantities should be more than sufficient whenever lemons are needed.
The ‘Variegated Pink’ lemon is a mutation of ‘Eureka’, so is a mutation of a mutation. The foliage is nicely variegated with white. The green fruit is striped with yellow until it ripens to yellow. The pulp and juice are pink of course. Like many variegated plants, the ‘Variegated Pink’ lemon stays much smaller than ‘Eureka’ lemon, and is more sensitive to frost.
I would love to be able to pick fresh lemons, even for a brief season. I need a greenhouse.
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Overrated! I needed to relieve a tree of some of the fruit weight, and we can not use all the lemons! They are waiting here in a box right now. Lemons and other citrus fruits from supermarkets are not much fresher than what I can get from a tree. Seriously, they are remarkably durable, and not nearly as perishable as other fruits. (Mandarin oranges and tangerines are the exception. Because their rind fits loosely, they are somewhat perishable, and are best fresh off a tree.) Did you happen to see my earlier rant about the fruit from that tree not being utilized? https://tonytomeo.com/2020/03/11/horridculture-when-life-gives-you-lemons-use-them/
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Yes, in fact I commented on it.
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I should also mention that lemons from a supermarket are likely better than what could be grown in a greenhouse. ‘Meyer’ lemon, which is an odd but very much appreciated lemon hybrid, happens to do well in a pot (although I hate to recommend growing citrus in a pot). Potted specimens can be brought in for the winter and put out for the summer, and can produce a few fruit. I think it is more effort than it it worth for just a few fruit, but some people do it in colder climates. ‘Eureka’ can produce a few lemons as well, but their quality is compromised by the distress of containment and relocation. ‘Eureka’ also prefers to grow larger, whereas ‘Meyer’ is easier to keep shrubby.
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