Is there a better gift than a plant? I can’t think of any gift that surpasses that of a plant – my favourite gift would be a houseplant. I’d prefer to receive a houseplant over a garden plant as a surprise gift, as it’s easier for me to find a suitable space and make room for an indoor plant than a garden plant. A plant that arrives potted up in peat-free compost is a superb gift – one that will outshine flowers – whilst offering the same impact and feeling of luxury that floral gifts bring.
Back in the summer, Plants4Presents sent me one of their Large Lime trees. This was very exciting for me, as I used to grow a variety of citrus plants; I gave the plants away when I moved to a home that had darker, shaded rooms, as I simply didn’t have anywhere bright, light and airy enough to grow citrus. I was sad to have to leave my plants behind and I’ve missed them in the years that followed. Thankfully, my current home has a bright and sunny room that’s suitable for growing limes and other citrus fruits. I feel very blessed to be able to grow a wide range of houseplants here. I just adore my indoor plants, they make my home feel so relaxing and calming, yet inspiring.
Plants4Presents raise hundreds of plants from seed and cuttings on site at their Sussex nursery and they also buy in plants from a range of UK specialist nurseries. I am always eager to support British horticulture and recommend plants raised in peat-free growing media, here in the UK, so I was thrilled to connect with Plants4Presents and find out more about their range of peat-free plants that are grown right here in the UK. This company don’t use pesticides, which is something I’m passionate about and is another reason I’m recommending them.
If you’re considering purchasing a lime tree as a gift, make sure your recipient has a lovely bright room to house their new plant. A conservatory is an ideal location to grow citrus fruit, but a bright room with skylights would also be a good option for these plants. The key thing is to find a place where your plant will bask surrounded by bright light above and all around it. I don’t have a conservatory or skylights here, but I have a room that has a window and patio doors, which makes it very bright and sunny, especially near the glass. It’s always a balance with getting the light level right for your plants. Harsh, direct sunlight can scorch plants’ leaves. Take care and be mindful of afternoon sunshine, which is more intense than softer morning sunlight, and therefore afternoon sunshine is more likely to harm our plants’ foliage. In the summertime, it’s vital to protect your lime tree and citrus plants from direct, intense afternoon sunshine.
Citrus plants benefit from being misted in the mornings to raise the humidity levels around the plants. The plants still need higher humidity levels during autumn and wintertime, so don’t forget to ensure your lime tree is experiencing its ideal growing conditions during this time of year. I’ve got a large houseplant collection and so by growing so many other plants in the same room as my lime tree this helps to create a less arid atmosphere. You don’t need a large houseplant collection to raise the humidity levels around your plant, an easy option to improve the growing conditions for your citrus is to place your plant on an upturned saucer on a tray full of pebbles; keep the tray topped up with water but make sure the bottom of your plant’s pot isn’t wet or sitting in water, as this would be very detrimental for any citrus – keep the water level lower than the top of your upturned saucer. Our homes can be surprisingly arid, with similar humidity levels to those you’d find within a desert, so it’s important to take actions to assist your citrus plant and ensure it’s growing in the best environment with positive growing conditions.
Whilst these plants require fewer waterings and less water during the autumn and winter months when they’re not actively growing, Lime trees and other citrus plants will still need regular watering, fertilising, and monitoring throughout this time of year. Citrus plants need fertiliser throughout the year. Plants4Presents stock both a summer citrus fertiliser and a citrus fertiliser that’s designed for wintertime. I recommend collecting rainwater to water houseplants whenever you can. I have water butts set up to collect rainwater from my roof.
I was planning to leave one or two of the fruit to ripen fully and turn yellow on the plant, but then we discovered a very tempting recipe over on the Bold Bean Company website for Chickpea, Sweet Potato, and Peanut Butter Curry. We were very excited indeed to use two green limes from our Lime tree in this dish. I can recommend both the sweet, fragrant flavour of these limes and the flavours and textures in this delicious recipe – it’s well worth making!
I was unwell for a few weeks recently, which meant that I didn’t manage to do any watering, and as a consequence this lime and some of my other houseplants have suffered. My lime has been dropping leaves and looks a shadow of its former self. I’ve watered the compost with rainwater collected from our roof and I’m hoping I can revive my plant.
To see some of my other houseplants, please click here.
For more articles about houseplants, please click here.
For more articles about indoor gardening, please click here.
