Article August 12, 2013 Issue

Lessons from an orange tree

Heidi K. Van Patten

My husband, John, loves to grow fruit. Since we moved into our home 15 years ago, he has planted apple and cherry trees, as well as grapes and raspberries. Although each plant has taken some time to bear fruit, they all have eventually, and we’ve enjoyed their bounty.

But when John bought an orange tree, I thought he was crazy. We live about as far north in the lower peninsula of Michigan as you can get. Our cold, snowy winters can last for six months. In short, the area is not exactly conducive to growing citrus fruits! Still, for several years, John faithfully watered his potted tree—placing it outside when spring arrived, then hauling it into our front hallway before the first frost of the fall.

After a while, we stopped thinking of it as an orange tree, and it just became a nice leafy addition to our backyard in the summer and to our front hallway in the winter. So I was beyond surprised when one day, while doing some house cleaning, I noticed five bright little oranges peering through the green leaves!

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