I think it’s been over a year since I have been talking about finally getting to this. I have had visions of lemons dancing in my head and two beautiful trees to look out and enjoy seeing on our backyard patio space. I fell in love with the look of container lemon trees awhile back when I saw this image. So, just call me a gardener with a hopeful green thumb because I am learning to grow container lemon trees!

We headed to our local Lowe’s as a family to find the two most perfect trees to hopefully not kill. I really did my best to ignore all of the whispered screams from the plants there as they realized my obvious lack of experience as we walked the rows and begged for me to not pick them.

The type of lemon trees we purchased are semi dwarf Lisbon lemon trees. We liked that these trees grow tall as well as wider for a more full look. They do say they can grow to 8 to 12 feet tall, but if contained and pruned as it should be, that you can better maintain the height to not have to transplant it later. The Lisbon lemon tree is also very capable of withstanding harsher temperatures with proper watering in the heat so I’m really hopefully we can get these girls to grow and mature to the point of bearing fruit – it’s about a three year commitment to get to that point! And of course, we loved that these trees will be fragrant and we will get to enjoy blossoms every spring.

After we picked out our new trees, we also came across these stone planters and fell in love. The look was perfect and I knew the pop of green against the rustic white would be a beautiful addition to our outdoor space. We also grabbed four bags of soil (perfect for these pots) along with a bag of citrus food.

We then spent the evening getting our girls settled. Yes, we unanimously decided that they are two beautifully curvaceous females that we lovingly named Lucy and Ethel. I figured if they really feel a part of the family they just might thrive. Wink! They both look absolutely beautiful in their new home and I love looking out to the backyard and seeing them there.

As far as care goes, right now it’s all about getting the watering amount right and plenty of sun. All citrus trees love sun and need up 7-8 hours daily. Luckily, the spots on our backyard patio we chose are perfect for this.

If the leaves start to yellow up it means that we are overwatering. Overwatering can cause root rot which makes it difficult for these girls to pull nutrients from the soil so the symptom to look for is yellowing leaves. On the flip side, if the leaves look curled at all or brittle than we obviously aren’t watering enough.

Because of the time investment with these beauties, I would hate to lose them so we have looked into a meter to check for proper watering which I think we will pick up this weekend.

I am so excited though and hope that by the time we finally purchase a home in the near future that Lucy and Ethel will have grown into beautiful trees that will be ripe for picking and that I will have fresh lemons to use in a new kitchen!

Have you grown container citrus trees? Any advice for a novice?