Height: 20 feet
Spread: 20 feet
Sunlight:
Hardiness Zone: (annual)
Description:
Attractive foliage is displayed on this medium to large shrub, or small tree; fragrant flowers produce juicy lemons year-round with few to no seeds; great container plant for the patio or indoors in colder climates; prune to maintain desired size
Edible Qualities
Eureka Lemon is a small tree that is commonly grown for its edible qualities, although it does have ornamental merits as well. It produces yellow oval fruit which are usually ready for picking from early spring to late winter. The fruits have a tangy taste and a juicy texture.
The fruit are most often used in the following ways:
- Fresh Eating
- Cooking
- Juice-Making
- Sauces
Planting & Growing
Eureka Lemon will grow to be about 20 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 20 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 4 feet from the ground. Although it's not a true annual, this plant can be expected to behave as an annual in our climate if left outdoors over the winter, usually needing replacement the following year. As such, gardeners should take into consideration that it will perform differently than it would in its native habitat. This is a self-pollinating variety, so it doesn't require a second plant nearby to set fruit.
This plant is quite ornamental as well as edible, and is as much at home in a landscape or flower garden as it is in a designated edibles garden. It does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. It is very fussy about its soil conditions and must have rich, acidic soils to ensure success, and is subject to chlorosis (yellowing) of the foliage in alkaline soils. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.
Eureka Lemon is a good choice for the edible garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Its large size and upright habit of growth lend it for use as a solitary accent, or in a composition surrounded by smaller plants around the base and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.
