Me & BF are going to just west of Kissimmee. Fl on the 26th for a week. Are there any good nurseries in area I can visit?
Dr. Manners, you are about 1 hour away (to Lakeland). Would it be worth a drive there to visit? If so, I'd love to. What can I see?
I may not get to that area for a long time after this, so any suggestions of where to go & visit would be appreciated now so I won't be sorry later that I didn't ask.
Thanks, Patty
(would really love to bring home a bears lime tree!)
Freezing sleet, ice & snow right now...can't wait for some warm weather in Fl....take my shoes off & bask in sun.....maybe a day in D.World!!!

You will be real close to the Citrus Research Center

http://www.crec.ifas.ufl.edu/OnlineTour/index.html

I'm not sure how "open" they are though. But I've asked at the front desk and been allowed to look around other U Fla experiment station grounds.

Yes, we're about an hour SW of Kissimmee. You'd be welcome to visit, but we should set up an exact appointment to be sure my calendar is clear to show you around. (mmanners@flsouthern.edu, or 863-680-4337)

As for nurseries, John's Nursery, near Eustis, is a good one for citrus as well as other unusual stuff. I'm sorry I don't have an address/phone/email for them.

You'll not likely find a tree called 'Bearrs' lime in Florida. But you will find 'Tahiti' which is identical. 'Bearrs' is the California name for the plant (even though it was originally discovered and named 'Tahiti' by a lady in Los Angeles).

Malcolm

Thank you.
Gonebananas, that link didn't work.
Dr. Manners, I'll email you on a good time for you --IF I can get boyfriend to go with me --I'd LOVE to visit. Interesting story on Bearrs &
Tahiti!
On a map, I see"Florida Citrus Tower" in Clermont -NW of Kissimmee, at hw 27 & 50. Anyone know what that is?
Thanks again.

I just clicked on it and it worked fine for me. I have no idea of the problem. Here is a more general address though.

http://www.crec.ifas.ufl.edu/

Patty, Florida Citrus Tower
http://www.citrustower.com/main.html

Millet

Thanks Millet. Did you click on that panoramic view?!!! Move the pointer on it & you can go in a circle -- Cool. I'll be driving right past it down 27.
Gonebananas, both those links are working today. Every time I clicked on it said "page cannot be displayed". It's just my 'puter. Hey, if you live in the area email me. We're staying at a resort 1/2 mile east of 27 on 192. Come over for a visit - bring wife (GF) & swimsuits. There's 3 pools & beach. And, we have the booze, wine & beer ha ha....WHOOPIE

Patty, Yes I did. The view from the tower shows just how flat Florida is. - Millet

Yes it sure is flat! You are used to your mountains & I love the hills & countryside in Wisc. Now I don't have to pay admission to get up there, I already saw it! ha ha

Actually, the citrus tower, in Clermont, is in a rather hilly area. US 27 has a long, steep hill with the town of Minneola at the bottom (source of the name of the tangelo), which for many years was a speed trap, since if you didn't brake, you'd be going well over 55 at the bottom, just coasting.

When I was a child, the view from the Citrus Tower was amazing -- citrus groves as far as you could see in all directions and little else. Now most of that land is in housing developments, although there is still some citrus to be seen there.

I can see Housing Development Tower in the future

I did see that they built it at the highest point in that area. I think I'll just have to make a 20 minute trip there to go up. I'll be driving right by it on Sundays coming & going, but they are closed Sundays! Too many things on my "to do" list LOL.
Malcom, I found Jon's (how they spell it) Nursery in Eustis in a search & they only sell to businesses. That place is HUGE!
BTW, for some reason our grocery stores are selling citrus that we never had before. Dec. I bought & tasted my first moro & it was great (I have a tree). Other day I saw Cara Cara & Minneola & bought them. They were the BEST oranges I ever tasted esp that Cara Cara! Now I want a tree. There were no seeds in either.
Patty (...on a hunt for Tahiti Lime & Cara Cara)

Patty,

Two days ago I ordered a Cara Cara and a Ponkan from Brite Leaf Citrus Nursery (briteleaf.com) they are located in Balm, Fl about 2 1/2 hours from Kissimmee. The Cara Cara won't be ready for about a month, but they will take orders now and send you the tree when they are ready. I should be receiving the Ponkan I ordered from them today. Anna @ Briteleaf told me that the Ponkan already has fruit on it. On another note they accept Paypal, which I liked. I called them on the phone 813-629-9273 and placed my order, they sent me an email confirmation with the "pay now" paypal link. It was quick, easy and friendly. Furthermore, it was personal and there was no question as to weather or not the specific tree was in stock or not.

Sincerely,

Thanks. I just used to live down there. Now I'm on the northern edge of cold-hardy citrus, the 7/8 boundary in SC. Turns out I live about a mile or so from the Croxton grapefruit (which picture was in our paper in the article on Stan). Had I been told over the past 25 years that I was right by an outside and fruiting grapefruit tree I would never have believed it. Especially on mornings it was 7-10 degrees. BTW: If that tree is 30 years old as suspected, it survived a morning at -1.

Thanks disneygirl!
GBananas, I thought you lived in Fl. Were you at the citrus expo in SC last Nov.?
Hard to believe a grapefruit tree could survive that!