Stretching The Hardiness Zone or How To Have Lemons In The Pacific Northwest

Do you know which zone you live in?  You can learn about which plants will be hardy in your area's minimum temps by discovering your USDA Hardiness Zone.  I live in USDA Hardiness Zone 8b, which includes most of the low areas of the Willamette River Valley and the valleys of its tributaries. This means that on average my garden experiences minimum temperatures of around 15 to 20 degrees Farenheit.

When I am shopping for plants, I check the tags for information about the zone.  It is usually listed as a range (e.g "Hardy in zones 8-10") and gives me a gauge on which plants will thrive in my zone. Just to be sure, I usually do a quick internet search on my phone to be sure a plant is likely to be happy in my garden.  I have learned not to assume that every plant for sale at the garden center is going to be reliable in my own garden.  For one thing, information on the tags does not always jive with what I learn when I check other reputable sources online.  For another thing, a plant that may be flourishing in the nursery in June might not have what it takes to survive the minimum temperatures that will hit once winter arrives.

This past summer I couldn't resist purchasing an Improved Dwarf Meyer Lemon from my local nursery.  The blossoms on this thing smell otherworldly and the prospect of fresh sunny citrus at my fingertips during the long dark winter was irresistible.  So I checked the tag: Zones 9-10.  In other words, this plant will be hardy town to about 25 degrees or so and probably won't be as happy in Portland as it would be in Palo Alto.  But not to despair!  While a Meyer Lemon may be most at home in sunny climes, I learned on the Oregon State Extension website that I can grow it in the Northwest if I pot it in a container rather than in the ground so I can bring it inside once temperatures drop down to freezing.

So I potted the plant up, added a layer of compost mulch, and placed it on my sunny patio until about mid November when an Arctic Blast was being predicted by my local meteorologist.  Before the cold front came through,  I brought the plant inside and placed it near two windows to give it as much light as possible - no easy feat in this dreary weather.  And you know what?  It seems to be doing fine.  I have about 10 new flowers in various states of bloom and two of the fruits it was already bearing are starting to show signs of yellowing.

Keep your fingers crossed for me and I will share my lemon bars with you.

Is it just me, or is this getting yellow?

Improved Meyer Lemon tree