{"product_id":"citrus-mandarin-thorny-citrus-deliciosa","title":"Thorny Mandarin - Citrus deliciosa","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePrice includes everything:\u003c\/strong\u003e the plant, free delivery and professional installation by our planting team. One price, whole job done.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eThorny Mandarin - Citrus deliciosa\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis is the old Mediterranean mandarin, the willow leaf type that was grown across southern Europe long before modern seedless varieties arrived. \u003cem\u003eCitrus deliciosa\u003c\/em\u003e carries narrow, almost willow like leaves on slightly pendulous branches, which gives it a lighter and more graceful outline than a Imperial or Emperor mandarin. The fruit is small, seedy and richly perfumed, and it ripens through winter. Growers accept the seeds and the thorns because the flavour is better than most commercial mandarins.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eWhy Thorny Mandarin\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWillow Leaf Canopy\u003c\/strong\u003e: Narrow leaves on fine drooping branches give a soft, weeping silhouette.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePerfumed Fruit\u003c\/strong\u003e: Small seedy fruit with an aromatic rind and a depth of flavour modern hybrids rarely match.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWinter Ripening\u003c\/strong\u003e: Fruit colours from late autumn and holds on the tree through the cold months.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eArmed Wood\u003c\/strong\u003e: Thorns along the stems make it a useful boundary planting as well as a crop tree.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eCold Tolerance\u003c\/strong\u003e: Mandarins are among the hardier citrus and this one takes light frost once established.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eIdeal Applications\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLawn specimen fruit tree\u003c\/strong\u003e: The weeping habit and evergreen canopy make it presentable as a standalone tree.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eProductive screen\u003c\/strong\u003e: A row along a fence line gives evergreen cover and a winter harvest.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEspalier\u003c\/strong\u003e: The flexible branches train well onto wires against a north facing wall.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMediterranean courtyard\u003c\/strong\u003e: It sits naturally with olive, rosemary and bay in a dry climate planting scheme.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003eSpecimen \u0026amp; Installation\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing (screening\/hedge):\u003c\/strong\u003e 2m to 2.5m centres\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSpacing (feature\/avenue):\u003c\/strong\u003e 4m to 5m centres\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBest Planting Season:\u003c\/strong\u003e Spring to early autumn\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSoil \u0026amp; Drainage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Free draining sandy loam, pH 6 to 7, and full sun with air movement. Heavy soils need mounding, and the graft union must sit well clear of soil and mulch.\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eEstablishment Care:\u003c\/strong\u003e Water deeply and regularly through the first two summers so the tree can carry its first crop without dropping it. Feed with citrus fertiliser in early spring and again in late summer, mulch clear of the trunk, and thin heavy fruit sets to reduce the alternate bearing this type is prone to.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch4\u003ePlant Details\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eHeight:\u003c\/strong\u003e 3m to 4m\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eWidth:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2.5m to 3.5m\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eGrowth Rate:\u003c\/strong\u003e Moderate\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFoliage:\u003c\/strong\u003e Evergreen\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLight:\u003c\/strong\u003e Full sun\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNative to:\u003c\/strong\u003e Originally from southern China, long cultivated around the Mediterranean\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eFlower Colour:\u003c\/strong\u003e White\n\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Nursery Direct","offers":[{"title":"100L","offer_id":59795303137566,"sku":"ND-0483-100L","price":3250.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1000\/2536\/8862\/files\/Ke0RIIPEQgHMP5rDblb32_gfuzhGuD.jpg?v=1787313177","url":"https:\/\/nurserydirect.com.au\/products\/citrus-mandarin-thorny-citrus-deliciosa","provider":"Nursery Direct","version":"1.0","type":"link"}