CITRUS

A gardener's guide

by BRUCE MORPHETT and IAN TOLLEY

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New small softcover book, 76 pages, published 2009

A concise guide to the selection and care of citrus trees

You could say that citrus is the ideal fruit. It can be picked virtually year-round because the mature fruit of many varieties remains at its juicy best for weeks and even months on the tree. And every part of the fruit can be used in cooking and to make healthy juices, tangy salads and delicious marmalades.

Citrus also make wonderful landscape trees with their beautiful glossy dark green leaves and ornamental shape. And who doesn't love the scent of orange blossom in the spring garden?

Citrus are clearly the most popular fruit trees to grow in the suburban back garden - just tune in any weekend to one of the popular garden programs on the radio. Demand for advice on citrus seems to be insatiable!

Citrus will inspire you and answer all your questions on which are the best varieties for your garden. It will also show you how to grow healthy trees to produce the best quality fruit, both in the garden and in containers, and how to deal with any problems you may encounter along the way. Imagine picking your favourite citrus fruit, fresh and juicy, from your own trees at home.

Chapters include:

• Citrus varieties and rootstock - orange, lemon, mandarin, tangelo, grapefruit, lime, cumquat and hybrids, citron, pummelo, pomelo or shaddock, rootstocks
• Growing citrus - selecting & preparing the site, establishing young trees,the growth and fruiting cycle, maturity and harvesting, citrus in containers, citrus as landscape trees
• Citrus problems - pests including scale, aphids, mealybugs, whiteflies, bugs, ants fruit flies and other pests; trunk and root rot diseases; twig, leaf and fruit diseases; virus and virus-like diseases, disorders including fruit drop and splitting
• Further reading

Includes colour photos, line drawings and informative tables throughout.

About the author

Bruce Morphett's experience in horticulture spans more than 30 years, first as an adviser with the SA Department of Agriculture (now Primary Industries SA) and more recently at the Botanic Gardens of Adelaide.

Ian Tolley OAM lives at Renmark, South Australia and is Managing Director of Tolleys Nurseries.  Recognised by the horticultural industry as a leading fruit grower, and nurseryman, he has been involved in orchard management for over 45 years..

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Citrus by Bruce Morphett and Ian Tolley