If you love the idea of picking fresh lemons or limes straight from your own garden, but don’t have much space – dwarf citrus trees are the answer! Compact, fragrant, and full of life, they’re perfect for patios, courtyards, balconies, or sunny Auckland gardens.
At Church Street Garden Central, we’ve hand-selected our favourite dwarf varieties that thrive in local conditions and bring year-round citrus fruit to your home garden, patio, or balcony space.
Our Dwarf Citrus Range In-Store
: Lemon Meyer – A Kiwi favourite! The Lemon Meyer has a spreading habit and few thorns. Produces large, smooth skinned sweet, juicy lemons. Harvest all year round . Its the most cold hearty variety. Self- fertile
: Lemon Yen Ben – Vigorous and highly attractive. Yen Ben is a prolific bearer of large oval lemons that are juicy and distinctly acidic. Harvest in July – August. Very hardy variety with great temperture tolerance . Great for cooking , gently sqeezed over fish, and refreshing in drinks. Self- fertile.
: Mandarine Encore – Highly attractive and strong growing selection of Madarin. Produces large crops of firm fleshed fruit that is easy to peel, seedless and sweet. Harvest in November to February. Self -fertile
: Lime Kaffir – A must have for Thai cooking ; Produces distinctive, bumpy. inedible limes used for the zest. Harvest in March – September. Young leaves are popular for Asian culinary dishes. Plant in a sheltered site that is frost free. Self-fertile .
: Tahitian Lime – Strong growing and compact tree with few thorns. Produces deep green seedless limes that are juicy and acidic, yellowing when ripe. Harvest in June – August. Self fertile
: Lime Bearss – A classic lime with excellent flavour. Produces small, deep green limes that are thin skinned, bascially seedless, juicy and tangy. Hardy and vigourous with a spreading habit. Harvest in June – August . Self-fertile.
: Orange Harward Late – A vigorous upright growing tree with high yeilds of fruit. Valencia oranges are thin skinned, juicy sweet, and delicious, and considered a late season orange. Harvest in November – March. Self-fertile
All of these grow beautifully in pots or directly in the ground in a full sun situation. Reaching around 1.5 – 2 meters tall – perfect for smaller gardens .
How to Grow Dwarf Citrus Successfully
: Choose a Sunny, sheltered position – at least six hours of direct sun
: Planting – Use rich organic matter when planting out . Dig your hole a little bigger than the hard pot. Mix compost, sheep pellets and a slow-release fertiliser to the soil dug from the hole , then remove the citrus from the hard pot and place in the hole already prepared insuring that the base of the citrus is level with the ground. Then pack the prepared soil around your plant .
: Feeding – Use a slow release fertiliser like Novatec every 3 – 4 months around the drip line of you citrus.
: Watering – Give a deep water after planting, then over the dry season water well twice a week .
: Pruning – Prune lightly to shape . If any suckers appear below the graft , rip off in a downward motion rather than cutting off, as this will stop regrowth.
With the right care, your dwarf citrus will reward you with fragrant blooms, glossy leaves, and an abundance of fruit throughout the seasons.
Why Gardeners Love Dwarf Citrus
: Perfect for Urban and small gardens
: fragrant blooms that attract the bees
: Home -grown fruit within reach, straight from the garden
: Excellent for growing in pot, courtyards, apartment balconies, and small garden spaces
Vist Church Street Garden Central
Pop in to explore our range of dwarf citrus trees and chat with our friendly team for expert growing advice.
We can help you choose the right variety for your space, and we’ve got a huge range of pots,suitable for all growing situations , just add your potting mixes , some slow release fertiler and you are ready to go – everything you need to bring that burst of citrus life into your home garden.