Tell someone you are growing oranges in Michigan you might as well say you saw a porpoise in Lake Michigan. It just doesn’t seem possible. Yet there is a little known species citrus called trifoliate orange and it happens to be the hardiest orange in the world. We have been growing it now for over 25 years and have learned many things about trying to establish this plant in southern Michigan. For one, it does have some limits. But those limits can easily expand. For cold hardiness that appears to be around minus 15 depending on the seedling. Covered in snow? Surprisingly maybe even to minus 20 F. Our seed sources will play a role in making future seed selections available to the public in future years. Our plantings have expanded to a whopping 20 plants some of which are now over 4 ft. tall.
This year we offer one year seedlings that are grown in plastic tree pots. Plants are easy to transplant this way. They develop a long thick tap root much like a hickory as they get older. Fruiting spurs develop on small trees which protects them against browsing. Eventually they form a small tree type structure reaching 15 ft. in height after 20 years. If you are in a zone 6 hardiness then this plant will easily grow in your location. Our seedlings hit a minus 10 F this year with no damage to the foliage or stems.
Use Code: ORAN10 for a 10 percent discount on hardy oranges. Exp. 5-1-21.
