Hi Aesir. Hmm, good question.
What size was and is your citrus?
Like any other plant, trunks thicken as tree matures. Wouldn't you think?
Citrus aren't the fastest growing plants anyway, especially when in containers, and less than tropical climate areas.
Did you ever grow a banana tree? 2 summers ago, I planted 4 small, 7"-1' (tiny trunks) bananas in the garden. As time progressed, the trees grew, BIG. 2 over 10' tall. Not only did leaves lenghten, but trucks thickened; it took two hands to wrap around trunks.

So, be patient, lol. Trunks will thicken. Of course, sun plays a major role, so place your plant in a sunny spot.

Didn't know I saved two pics..Photos were taken before bananas reached they're full height before autumn.

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BTW, squirrels devoured the other two musas..one blood red, the other variegated..talk about angry! Toni

i feel really sad for people when they say squirrels ruin their plants. we have a big squirrel feeder for the ones in our garden - they eat so much from it they are practically groaning on the ground as they rub their huge stomachs. i swear we're going to end with an outbreak of squirrel obesity! is there any way to repel them from plants?

it was about 6 or 7 inches tall when i bought it last feb. it is now about a foot and a half with its lanky trunk staked to a bamboo cane. i have a couple of seedlings from about 2 inches to 3 inches tall, and they have a small fan circulating their air around them for a few hours each day to strengthen the trunks. any idea how much time they need the fan for?

i like your pics! i would love to grow those in my garden, but im not sure on their hardiness? would they survive british winters lol

theres some bananas that can grow outside in the UK, if theres a bad frost coming its best to wrap them in frost fleece, you dont seem to get fruit though unless in a greenhouse as its too cold

Ha, I put out bird and squirrel food, still they insist plants are nutricious..lol..they love avacados, pits and all, even though pits are toxic.
They get corn, scraps, and seeds. Oh and peanuts in the shell, daily.

Aisir, bansoo musa/banana is hardy, but they're inedible. Bananas are heavy drinkers and feeders.
Do you know your zone..
The two bananas in the picture weren't hardy..because they grew way larger than anticipated, they were left to freeze..I felt terrible leaving them outdoors. Bananas grow pups, which are to be separated from mom and started over.
They need to be mulched, heavily in cold climates. The Bansoo is hardy as far noth as Canada..If you like tall plants with huge leaves, that have a tropical look, try bansoo..Toni

my zone? the cold north of england lol i dont think we operate in zones over here do we?

i plan on moving soon, so not sure about the size of the garden...or if i will even have one - might be just a yard. i have two big pots - about 3foot wide and 3foot deep - any suggestions of the kind of exotic plants i could try in them? the temps dip below freezing in winter quite regularly, so something that i can either move inside that isn't going to be enormous or something that doesnt mind the odd chill!

Hi Aesir. I'm pretty sure people who lived in England and other coutries added zones next to their names here. There's a zone site, but I'd have to look for it.
Don't know if they're the same zones used in US.

3x3' is pretty big. Are you talking about buying a plant, repotting in containers?
One thing, you can wait until your citrus are large enough. Or you can buy a plant hardy/tropical/succulent.
If not a citrus, how about something in the Dracaena family, like D. marginata, Dragon Tree. D. draco is beautiful, but slow-growing..if you were to buy a large draco it'd be expensive. Dragon trees are really pretty, and come in, 3 colors, that I know of..green w/red edge, pink/green/white, and red/pink. They grow tall, as far as weight, if you use a lighter soil, and since mix needs to dry between waterings, it wouldn't be too heavy carrying indoors..
Murraya is gorgeous,too..it's related to citrus. Flowers are heavenly, and depending on size, bloom 50-200 per spurt. They bloom several times throughout the year.
For the time being, if your pot is ornate, you can place a potted plant/tree inside the larger pot. I set styrofoam sheets on the bottom, then set a potted plant on top of the foam..this way a plant won't sit in water.
Some ppl use stones, but they're too heavy when moving. Only if a plant is hardy, stays outside yr round, would stones work. Stones would also prevent plant from tipping over when winds are strong.
Aesir, do you get plant catalogs? You need to know which plants are hardy, if you intend keeping outside yr round. Some perrenials and firs live in big containers, but go dormant in winter..firs/pines are evergreen.
I hope you find something nice..it depends on the plant you'd like.. Toni