91°F
weather icon Clear

Limes aren’t cold hardy enough for Las Vegas area

Question: Will either dwarf lime or lemon trees do well here? We considered pots, but our patio faces west and gets very hot. We have a small space for pots in the front yard, which faces east. Any suggestions?

The principal limitation for citrus here is winter cold. Cold tolerance in citrus generally follows this progression of tolerance from the most hardy to least: (most) kumquat, Meyer’s lemon, grapefruit, Mandarin or Satsuma orange, navel orange and lime (least).

Once you get to navel orange, the rest will not handle any freezing.

You should locate citrus in the part of the yard that is the warmest in the winter and protected from cold winter winds. If you like lemons, Meyer’s is a good choice and very popular in Las Vegas, even though it is not a true lemon.

I would put limes only in much-protected locations.

Bob Morris is a professor emeritus in horticulture with the University of Nevada and can be reached at extremehort@aol.com. Visit his blog at
xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com.

THE LATEST
Fig trees need ample water while producing fruit

We are quickly approaching temperatures (and wind) that require watering figs three times a week. The higher temperatures demand more water for production to continue.

What can be done to help ailing gardenia?

Gardenias have similar needs as roses. Their health and growth respond best to wood chip mulch decomposing on the soil surface.

Some petunia varieties can stand up to our summer heat

There are lots of different kinds of petunias. For instance, the Madness Summer Series can take the heat, but petunias typically are not known for that.

Watch out for hornworms lurking in your garden

Anyone who has been gardening for a while has a horror story or two about hornworms, which infest many vegetables in the tomato family.

What can be done about high boron levels in soil?

Boron is one of the salts commonly found in desert soils. It can be present naturally or it can accumulate over the years in such places as horse corrals.