TheAgitator.com
Bonsai!
Monday, March 10th, 2008
Today is my girlfriend’s birthday. I wanted to get her something for her office, but couldn’t really decide what. So a few weeks ago, I was at the mall, and stumbled onto a store selling bonsai trees. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a small tree that looked like a mini-orange tree. I walked by, stopped about 500 feet later, then went back for a second look. Sure enough. It’s a mini-orange tree. And it actually produces edible little oranges a couple of times a year.
I’ve always though bonsai were kinda’ cool. But I had no idea they had fruit trees that produce actual fruit. They also have mini pomegranate, crabapple, and cherry trees. And all of the produce real edible fruit. They’re surprisingly easy to care for. It’s fine with office light, and just needs to be watered once a day, pruned twice a year, and re-potted every three years. She loves it (I gave it to her early), so I thought I’d share the idea. She watches the little oranges ripen, and it fills her office with the smell of orange blossom.
So it’s a great little gift. Get yours here. And if you click on the link before ordering, I get a little cut!
If you want to be sincere, they’re not that hard to grow.
Hope your gal enjoyed it.
The Amazon link is a bit misleading. It’s not actually a mini-orange tree. It’s a calamondin.
I have one and love it. The flowers are incredibly fragrant in the late winter/spring. The fruit becomes ripe for picking in November/December. The fruit doesn’t taste like an orange. More like a sour tangerine. They make fabulous marmalade.
Tell Ms. Agitatrix not to water it too often and let it get as much sunlight as possible.
Great gift idea!
And when nobody’s looking, she can stand next to the tree and go “Fee Fi Fo Fum!”
At least, that’s what I would do…
Oooooooh! I have a friend who’s pregnant. She’d love one of these. Have to wait till my paycheck, but I’ll make sure to click on your link.
I would love one o’ them things, and my bday is coming up. Wonder if my boyfriend reads this blog?
All you need to do is say ” Honey, I saw the coolest thing…” and show it to him on Amazon. If he can’t pick up that hint, I don’t know what to tell you.
I bought one for my parents as a gift for helping with some work on my house and they loved it. They say it smells really good all the time.
I had several mini orange and lemon trees that grew real fruit and only got to be about 3 tall. The lemons were the size of nerf footballs and tasted great. One lemon, a 5th of Jose, and a salt shaker and you were good to go for the evening. I kept them out front in planters in the summer and in my sun room in the winter for about 5 years. I sold the house and the new place just didn’t have any place for them so I gave them away.
It’s a great gift if she gets half as much enjoyment out of it as I did mine. Well done.
My great-grandmother gave me an orange-seedling when I was a kid. I kept in a clay pot for over thirty-five years. (Then, while it was staying at the parents while I was in a tiny apartment, my Dad got the bright idea to plant it outside….in Minnesota. Oops….citrus =//= winter….)
I used to give these as x-mas gifts. The Banana Tree, http://www.banana-tree.com, was a great source for them, although they appear to be out of stock when I checked (I vaguely recall picking up 20 for 150$ in a special deal I worked out with the owner).
My father, a horticulturalist, has had one for years. But to be clear, they may be edible, but they’re also disgusting. I would not recommend eating them.