Growing and maintaining plants in an apartment that is unoccupied for several months each year can be challenging not to mention the logistics of potting, storing compost, equipment etc with limited space. But I have gardened for many years and created two gardens from scratch so it’s hard not to. I still have the desire to grow things wherever I am despite being thwarted by Mario’s brutal unwanted pruning in Italy and the mow and murder gardener in our Ilkley communal gardens.
Before we left for Italy in April I passed two plants I really didn’t want to lose to a friend to keep for me. I’d slipped a few lemon pips into the compost of the Swedish ivy, plectranthus verticillatus, one was growing. My friend said she’d take great care of the seedling and named it Pippa. In Italy I had a message to say another little lemon seedling had appeared, I named it Kate and then just recently James appeared, he stayed in the pot with the ivy as he was only small.
The two original plants came back to the penthouse after MrFF met up with their keepers on a group walk but the first two lemons were deemed too fragile to travel in the boot of the car and spend the day there while the walk took place. With difficulty I managed to get James out of the compost and into his own pot, so far he has only his seed leaves.
At present they sit in the lounge next to the balcony doors though they can probably go outside this week if the forecast heat returns. I hope I can keep them going, it would be a delight to have lemon plants in the apartment, does three count as a grove? My single Italian lemon tree in Italy shown below is thriving, why did I never think to plant pips there, I could have an orchard full by now.
For those who don’t follow the British royal family, Pippa Middleton is the sister of Kate Middleton, the Princess of Wales, wife of Prince William, James is their younger brother
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