I'm eager to buy yet another citrus plant. I have a couple of varieties in mind but can't decide on which one to get...

The ones I'm thinking of are...

- Tarocco orange
- Common sour orange (Seville)
- 'Striata' sour orange

I really love tarocco, but then I already have 4 other sweet orange varieties in my collection.

I would love to have a real seville orange in my collection for the scent of the leaves and flowers. I don't know how the 'striata' variety compares to the seville in that respect, but the fruit looks nice and is said to be 'bitter-sweet' whereas the seville is just 'bitter'. I already do have a couple of seville seedlings, but they may not flower for many years and I'm not that patient!

I'd love to know what you would chose!

Try some different mandarin varieties.

I would look at kumquats if you don't have any, they are a very fun citrus to grow. Early, hardy, eat the whole fruit, unique.

It's true that I don't have any kumquats nor mandarins. I have to say I don't really like kumquats. I brought some from the market once and tried a few, but I don't like the taste.

I'm not really into mandarins either, but that's mostly because they usually are too sweet to my taste when they become available at the market here. I do like them if there's enough acid present. Any suggestions on varieties? They should be available in Europe, of course! Considering my climate a satsuma might be a good choice...

Thinking of mandarins... minneola tangelo might be something to consider also...

Satsumas are excellent & you also have the red clementine available from Italy.

I would have said the same thing about kumquats before I got a Meiwa tree.

This is now one of my top 3 all time favorite citrus. I have never tasted store kumquats that where good. Meiwa's are sweet and melting, with little juice, not sour or firm. I would be willing to bet the ones at the local market where oval Nagami, I don't like this type either.

I'm holding firm with my recommendation of Meiwa and unless you have tried one and did not like it. If you don't like Meiwa you defiantly need to stay away from kumquats , but I bet you'll like them.

If you don't have a mandarin yet well, you need one as soon as possible! I would start with a standard Satsuma first. However, Minneola tangelos are very very good if grown in a good climate and allowed to ripen. Very juicy , great tart/sweet flavor and a very unique aroma. I love a good Minneola tangelo. the only reason I don't have one in my collection is they are so good at the store,(come from California) there is no way I could grow it better.

Also on the mandarin's I would also look at Page, this variety is simply outstanding its a cross between minneola tangelo and clementine. Mine produces very well,The best mandarin I have tasted.

Meiwa!

When you pick it ripe off the tree the skin is thin and sweet and the pulp is very juicy. Mine have an excellent balance between acid and sweet. So much larger than the Nagamis I've tried and like Ryan said I'd have no use for Kumquats if the Nagami was as good as it gets!

Hi Marc !

I never had a Meiwa for it is not available in europe ...

BUT, a fully ripe Magarita is DELICIOUS !!!
The skin dark orange and smelling like a mix of Mandarines and Oranges, then the VERY sweet rind and the fresh strong citrus taste of the pulp ...
Some say AHHHH and then AWWWW when taste the lil acid, but not really tart pulp, but I just like that .
Having 2 tastes that melt together.
If want a all sweet then take a Japonica.
If want it BIG, then a Sunquat or a Orangequat ...

All Kumquats and hybrids are also very hardly and maybe you could plant them outside even.

If cannot decide between Sevilla and Swiss (striata/fasciata/virgata) :
The Sevilla is VERY bitter .. like 10 times more than a grapefruit, but it makes a delicious marmalade.
The Swiss is fully ripe SWEET, so maybe not what you want ...

This isn't making it any easier!

But I still have some time to think it over. I want to buy from Florealia in Italy because of their extensive choice. Their plants cost €25, but their shipping costs are rather high at €40. This is for shipping up to 4 plants though, so it makes sense to buy more than one!

I just made some room in my collection. I tossed 2 plants out.
The kaffir lime looked really bad with all yellow-green leaves that all started to drop off. The plant didn't want to grow either, not even after pruning it. So I decided not to keep it.
I also threw out the buddhas hand. This plant did produce a lot of flowers but hardly grew at all. It also had an unbalanced shape and because it didn't want to grow it was impossible to reshape it. So out it went! I kept the rootstock though, which is rather long and firm. I'd love to know what it is!

Well, maybe just tell what you expect from a citrus plant ... maybe we can suggest you then more ...

As Ryan suggested, cumquats and mandarines are great.

Tarocco is good, if you want a sweet only little coloured blood orange.
If want a profolic strong taste blood orange, then take Moro.
If want the best blood orange, then take Sanguinello or Maltaise.

Budhas´s hand grows best on own root, so you better made a cut ...
Kaffir is a tropical plant and needs tropical conditions.

I already do have Moro and Spanish Sanguinelli (and valencia late and salustiana). At this moment the taste of the sp. sanguinelli is my preferred blood orange taste. But in general my preferred citruses are oranges if the balance between sweet and acid is good (is acid the right English word to describe this?).

I'm still interested in...
- Tarocco Rosso
- Maltaise Sanguine

I'm not really interested in kumquats... Mandarins are a good choice but I don't know which one to chose. I prefer not too sweet but a little tart.
And then there's that aurantium... for some reason I want one... either the common seville, bouquet de fleurs (crispifolia) or striata.
And I'm interested in another lemon. I'm thinking about a nine pounder or a ponderosa. Or one of those large Italian varieties (Laaz made me want one! ).

By the way... good idea of making a cutting of that buddha's hand. I think I can still do that!

Kaffir is doing fine with me,mine loves water,i hold it quit wet.
I use the leaves in some indonesian dishes.







Maybe you like Orogrande,gives a bigger fruit than clemenules,and not as sweet.

Good !

I hoped you still can make a cutting.
You can do that also of the Kaffir, they grow better on own roots too.

Besides there are different versions of Kaffir already.
That from Thailand (Makrut) need it very hot and wet.
The versions of Australia and USA are like normal citrus.

Well, I know what´s perfect for you : MINNEOLA !!!
It is THE best balance of sweet and tart.
Almost all pulp turns to juice and it has an unique aroma.

If you want a bitter orange then take NOT crispifolia, for that is the most BITTER, even worse than Chinotto !!!

If want bitter with the best aroma, then only Sevilla is the right for you !
I can give you also the original recipe for the famous English Breakfast Marmalade ...

I can help you to buy a Pondarosa, if want.
Also Sfusato d`Amalfi etc ...

If you like it not too bitter , then grapefruits are the better choice :
classic DUNCAN, a PINK FLASH, RIO RED or STAR RUBY are great.

Same about Pumellos, but they are not acid or bitter ... just enormous huge and delicious fruits ...

Marc, I think a nice mandarin or maybe a tangor might be a nice addition. I prefer my mandarins on the sweet side, but if you can find a Minneola (or also known here in the USA as Sugar Belle in the gulf coast area), you might like that. They're a cross between a grapefruit and an orange, and a little too sprightly for my taste. As far a nice mandarin, any satsuma is worth growing, and if you can find the Seedless Kishi, it's a pretty little tree with fabulous small seedless mandarins that you can pop entirely in your mouth. Small, but fabulously flavored.

My mind changes with the wind...
Thinking of Kara mandarin right now... Minneola is the second option!