Lemons tend to be associated with the Mediterranean, conjuring up sunny images of Tuscan terraces lined with potted lemon trees. However, the true origins of the citrus tree, particularly the species Citrus limon, remain a mystery. Some believe it came from India, while others say it originated in China, before being brought to Europe during the Crusades. Other sources claim that lemon trees arrived much earlier, with Alexander the Great introducing the first plants to Greece and excavations at Pompeii revealing that lemons were cultivated there by the Romans around AD 79. By the 16th century, the lemon was well-established as an ornamental and medicinal plant in Italian horticulture. Its profile was raised by Cosimo de' Medici, who used images of the fruit both on the family crest and as adornment on his Florentine villas, notably the Villa di Castello. Today the gardens at the villa are home to one of the most important collections of citrus plants in the world. In the 17th century the limonaia, or lemon house, was introduced to over-winter pots of lemons.

CARE OF LEMON TREES
In the gardens of Villa di Castello near Florence there are 800 lemon trees growing in terracotta pots. It takes an entire month for the gardeners to move the collection into the limonaia, or lemon house, to protect the trees from the cooler weather between October and April. They are positioned so that each plant has the correct amount of sunlight, and electric fans, which recently replaced 13 wood-burning stoves, warm the air inside the limonaia to the required minimum temperature of 5°C. Winches and pulleys are used to lift the plants when they need repotting.
To ensure the lemon trees are cared for and nurtured precisely, ancient cultivation methods, which have been handed down over generations, are used. Watering is done by hand but it only takes place when a terracotta pot “sings” when tapped; the gardener recognises the appropriate resonance and waters accordingly. The gardeners also gather the seeds of rare specimens, take cuttings and prepare grafts, using bitter orange as a rootstock, to perpetuate this historic collection of citrus trees at Villa di Castello, which is renowned throughout the world.

WHERE TO SEE LEMONS
In the UK
• The Orangery, Hestercombe Gardens, Cheddon Fitzpaine, Taunton, Devon TA2 8LG, (01823) 413923. Citrus trees are kept inside until May, when they are set out on the terrace for the summer. Open daily, 10 am-6 pm.
• Temperate House, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Surrey TW9 3AB, (020) 8332 5655.
• Warm Temperate Biome, The Eden Project, St Austell, Cornwall, (01726) 811911.

In Italy
• Villa di Castello, near Florence. Situated three miles outside Florence, the gardens of this villa are open to the public and also boast a grotto, secret garden and woodland. Entrance to the limonaia is free and it is open most of the year, except for the second and third Monday of each month; check opening times before visiting.
• Villa della Petraia, near Florence. The Renaissance villa and gardens are both open to the public. A large part of the gardens has been replanted with historic collections, including many dwarf fruit trees. Opening times as for Villa di Castello, above.
• The Boboli Gardens, Florence. Located behind the Pitti Palace in central Florence, the gardens, with limonaia, are open all year except for the last Monday of each month.

WHERE TO BUY LEMON TREES
• Reads Nursery, holder of the National Collection of citrus plants, Hales Hall, Loddon, Norfolk NR14 6QW, (01508) 548395. Open 10 am-4 pm, Wednesday to Saturday; 11 am-4 pm, Sunday.
• The Citrus Centre, West Mare Lane, Pulborough, West Sussex RH20 2EA, (01798) 872786. Open 9.30 am-4 pm, Tuesday to Saturday. Mail order and courses available.
• Send a lemon tree as a gift, such as the Citrus limon 'Four Seasons', which flowers and fruits all year round and costs £29·50, excluding delivery. Call 0845 226 8026; or visit www.plants4presents.co.uk.
• The Gluttonous Gardener sells the Extra Lemon crate, which includes a lemon tree in a terracotta pot, plus a jar of lemon and honey marmalade and lemon curd, £56 excluding p & p. Call (020) 7627 0800.

WORDS JACKY HOBBS
PHOTOGRAPHS MICHELLE GARRETT
JULY 2006