Backyard Lemon Tree
A back-yard lemon tree is my best friend in winter. In fact I don’t stop at one lemon tree, I have six small lemon trees in an eight square metre garden and four more in large pots. I don’t want to run out of lemons when winds blow chill and rain sheets down in endless torrents.
There is only one lemon tree to suit small backyards and that is the compact Meyer.
Most Australian gardens have forgotten the ubiquitous lemon tree of the past when every household grew one automatically. Lemon trees were there for summer lemonade drinks, thick lemon butter and a winter favourite for colds, hot lemon and honey.
Today the Australian backyard has embraced the lonely Cocos palm which would be much happier crowded in a plantation or bunched in a garden like my lemon trees. It is usually seen standing sentinel and sad, of no use to anyone, giving neither shade nor by-product.
