Planning to decorate with a holiday tree in your home this year? Why not think outside the box? In Florida, there is no reason to limit your search to pines and cedars. Other evergreen species abound, and some of them make their own, edible ornaments. Visit a nearby nursery and give your imagination free rein to roam!
My personal fave for this purpose is the finger lime. This charmer is small but mighty, covered in tiny, shiny dark green leaves, and perfect for an understated display. You can choose only the best and prettiest from your very small baubles and light the tree up with those weentzy LED fairy lights. So many trees these days take over the living room with their show-offy ceiling-scraping. But not the modest finger lime. So minimalist and on-trend!
Best of all, after the holidays you can plant the little tree, and with good care and in the fullness of time it will sport freaky, pickle-shaped citrus fruit in any of a wide variety of wild colors, depending on the variety you chose. And it tastes like “a combination of lemon, lime, and grapefruit!” Consult Ask IFAS to learn all about this delightful and hardy tree—they’re naturally resistant to citrus greening. https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FE1033
Need more sweetness in your life? Try a tangerine or an orange. Ask IFAS has tips for home growers here https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/HS132.
Not a fan of citrus, full stop? What about a pomegranate? Or, if you’re in the southern part of the state, a more tropical variety? A jackfruit, say, or (swoon) a mango!
The bottom line is, live trees are fun; you don’t have to get a pine; and if your yard is too crammed to take even one more little tree and you can’t pack any more trees in containers onto your porch, they make great gifts.
For more on holiday planning, please consult Ask IFAS, and check out my colleague Amanda Quintos’s excellent The holidays are coming… blog series.
Source: UF/IFAS Pest Alert
Note: All images and contents are the property of UF/IFAS.
