The Echo
Volume 4, Issue 8
THE WEST LAKE HILLS ECHO
ANewsletter for the Residents of West Lake Hills The West Lake Hills Echo is a monthly newsletter mailed to all West Lake Hills residents. Each newsletter is filled with valuable information about the community, local area activities, school information, and more. If you are involved with a school group, play group, scouts, sports team, social group, etc., and would like to submit an article for the newsletter, you can do so online at www. PEELinc.com. Personal news (announcements, accolades/ honors/ celebrations, etc.) are also welcome as long as they are from area residents. GO GREEN! Subscribe via Peelinc.com to have an email sent to you with a link to a PDF of the newsletter, or have an email sent to you instead of having a newsletter mailed to you! Copyright © 2015 Peel, Inc.
August 2015
Gardengate • Lemons Submitted by Resident Joette Reger
What a joy it is to look out of your patio window and see a little lemon tree growing chock full of these bright yellow treats. And the blooms have a heavenly scent. The warm weather of Texas is perfect for lemon tree growing. But just like with any region where you grow citrus plants, you have to take steps to ensure the health of your tree if you want the harvest. One of the easiest ways to grow happy lemons and other citrus here is to plant them into containers. If the containers are on a base with rollers you can even roll them into to garage or warmer area when there is the occasional freeze. Those of you old enough may remember the song, “lemon tree very pretty and the lemon flower is sweet…but the fruit of the poor lemon, impossible to eat…” Today you can find lemon trees with sweeter and juicier fruit than when that song was penned. Look for Meyer Lemon, which is a compact, almost thorn-less small tree with an abundance of scented blooms and fruit. The fruit flesh is a light orange-yellow color. With a little searching you can also find the Dwarf Meyer Lemon. The nurseries brag that it is grafted on Flying Dragon rootstock that makes it a much smaller 6’ tree that is perfect for containers. The Iranian lemon plant and the Variegated Meyer lemon are other great options. The Variegated Spanish Pink Lemon (Citrus limonia) is one of the most beautiful citrus varieties. The foliage of this tree is variegated green and white. The fruit is green and yellow striped with a pink interior. Pink lemonade anyone? No matter what the variety you choose there are some basics that will keep your lemon tree productive. Plant into soil that is loamy with a generous amount of sand. The soil feeds the plant and the sand helps it drain well. Be gentle with the roots and water every four days for the first month then about once a week. Give your lovely lemon tree a location with a minimum of 8 ours of sun a day. If you plant into a container be sure to choose a large size pot with good drainage holes. A slow release fertilizer is a good idea. If you are interested in your tree growing larger, limit the amount of lemons the first year to 6 or so (5 gallon tree). It seems unimportant now but in the fall when temperatures vary widely, protect your lemon tree with a blanket then a plastic cover when temperatures drop to 25 degrees. You will be rewarded with the sweet fragrance and bright beauty of lemons in your own backyard. West Lake Hills Echo - August 2015
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