ElGrecus, citrus tree size is more dictated by the understock (the rootstock the cultivar is grafted to), than so much the variety. So, just pick the varieties you'd like to have in your yard, fruit you'd like to eat, then just purchase your citrus trees on "standard" rootstock. Citrus trees on standard rootstock for the most part can easily get to 20'. Pummelos and grapefruits even larger. Just know that you're going to present issues for yourself picking fruit that is 15' off the ground. Ladders are a dangerous thing to use to pick fruit - I don't allow them in my yard. And Clausen Nursery in Vista, CA carries a very nice selection, trees are super healthy, the guys that run the nursery are really great to work with, will give you excellent and knowledgeable opinions on what will do well in your specific area of S. California. They are commercial tree growers (used to own and run a commercial nursery way back), but also kindly sell to the public. Their prices are also very good. Tell us first, exactly where you are in S. California (it's a big place), and what kinds of citrus fruits you particularly like, and we can make better suggestions.

Patty S.

Here is a link that might be useful: Clausen Nursery

Thanks for the response Patty. I will make sure to get "standard" rootstock trees. We are in Culver City, just a couple of miles southeast of Santa Monica.

Ideally we would have an orange for juicing, a mandarin for eating and a grapefruit. I'd love to get a Satsuma but I believe they do not grow too tall. I always like to have lemon trees for cooking and limes for making cocktails. Clausen looks great. Are there any others you would recommend?

Pomelo trees growing on their own roots (not grafted) can live over 50 years and get to be up to 50 feet tall. Grapefruit trees on their own roots can get to be up to 45 feet tall, in the proper climate. These are big trees and it can be difficult to harvest the fruit, which explains why they are almost always grafted.

According to these sites, the bitterness associated with navel oranges is caused by the limonin, a naturally occurring agent in the flesh of the orange that reacts with air shortly after juicing. In the Valencia variety the limonin is in the seed so juicing them does not cause the bitterness. Just my 2 cents.

http://www.mercurynews.com/eat-drink-play/ci_26824027/dont-juice-that-navel-orange

Lemon and grapefruit trees can grow pretty large. Orange trees generally don't. If you want a big tree that grows useful fruit also plant some avocados.

We grow very large citrus trees at Paradise Nursery in Los Angeles. Culver city is not too far and a good climate for citrus. The lemons and limes grow quick are ever-bearing producing fruits right after each other. Mandarins and Oranges are always popular, but grapefruits and varieties like kumquats are gaining in popularity. Citrus are great because they are always green, take the full sun with a smile, and relatively pest free.

Wow, Patty, that's a great summary! Especially for a rookie to start with. I wish I had had a list like that when I was planting my trees, I wound up with a couple that I know I wouldn't have chosen had I been better informed: a Mexican sweet lime, and a Rangpur lime. Neither has fruited yet, but I am not hearing from any fans of either on this board. I also have two Meyers, and I think I would have rather had two different ones! Oh well, good thing I like citrus in general!

I have been growing a rangpur lime for about 6 years now in a container. It is a relatively small tree. As you know, even though it is called a lime the fruit is orange and it is actually a cross between a lemon and a mandarin. I use the fruits to make key lime pie, lemony cookies, and - my favorite use - margaritas. The fruit has a sweetness to it that store bought (green) limes don't have. The leaves can be used for cooking as well when recipes call for kaffir limes leaves. As for the Mexican sweet limes, like with Meyer lemons they are better used for desserts than for adding acidity to savory dishes.

Ooh, thank you! You make me so happy!

So the Rangpur should be used when ripe and orange? And good to know about the leaves! What about the Mexican sweet limes, yellow or green harvesting?

Thanks so much, I'm feeling so much better!

Yes, use the Rangpur lime once it turns orange like, well, a mandarin orange. I read it is good for marmalade (never tried) and in India people add its juice to (mandarin) orange juice to give it a little bit of a sour kick. Tanqueray gin promotes its use in gin drinks. It is not a fruit you would use when a recipe calls for green limes - especially not any sort of Mexican dish like fish tacos - although it works when a little sweetness is desirable such as, as I said, in margaritas or cookies. Think of it more as a sweet-and-sour orange. I use them to stuff whole roasted chickens sometimes. It does not replace a lime in the garden but it is its own unique flavor. The zest is interesting, too, and I do use it as a substitute for orange, lemon, AND lime zest depending on the recipe. I have no personal experience with the Mexican sweet limes, but I have read that the more yellow they get the sweeter they are. Hence, I would probably pick them when yellow but it depends on what your use will be. I am guessing - like I said - that you would use them in the same recipes you would use your Meyer lemons but part of the fun is experimenting with produce you can't get at the grocery store.

That is so true, it's the same reason I experiment with vegetable varieties, but i guess since I think of vegetables as a seasonal crop, I didn't apply the same philosophy to my citrus! But now that you have opened my eyes to a new way of thinking about my poor scorned citrus, I realize, yeah, I can get oranges and lemons at the grocery store. Why not have the luxury of variety in my garden!