Meet Frankenstein… (aka: my ‘Washington Navel’ Orange Tree)
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It’s January here in Northern California and today I ate the first (of many) oranges off my ‘Washington Navel’ tree….
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I LOVE that first, sweet-with-a-faint-hint-of-sour-taste the season’s first orange gives me…I look forward to it all year, beginning in late Spring when my garden is literally blanketed with the scent of it’s heavenly blossoms…to the Fall when it’s green ‘tennis-balls’ start to swell…to January, when everything in the garden seems so dreary and all I have to do is look at my orange tree just covered with it’s cheery orange fruits…
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This is the tree I recommend for my clients, as it’s the first to ripen in our area – versus a Valencia orange which ripens in the Summer. Personally, I’d much rather have something delicious to eat from my garden in January – when there’s not a whole lot going on – versus Summer when everywhere you turn there’s something happening. In the Winter, eating fresh fruit from your gardenseems just a little bit more ‘exciting’..
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Each orange is quite large, with a thick, easy to remove rind, and with each orange segment easy to separate (not like grapefruits which can be a messy nightmare to eat). It’s not a super-juicy variety, but still has excellent flavor and has almost no seeds whatsoever.
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It’s also a great tree for our Zone 8 climate, as it prefers our cooler temperatures (whereas most other orange trees want a much warmer climate).
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But beware! All citrus need to be protected from freezing temperatures which seem to be occurring here with more and more consistency. And that’s a particular risk you run when planting this Winter-bearing variety. An unusually cold frost (mid-twenties) can really damage or ruin an entire crop, but I’ve found once the tree has a few years under it’s belt it tends to survive the freezes with little damage. When your tree is young pay close attention to the weather reports – and if a hard freeze is coming make sure you cover your tree with burlap, or run Christmas lights through it (yes, they DO provide enough heat to stave off damage) or both!
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Also – once your tree is heavy with fruit – beware of strong winds and heavy rain which weigh down your tree and can rip it in two. When a storm is coming, make sure you prop up it’s limbs – I use 2×4′s, stained a dark brown (so they blend in with my garden a little better than the bright, untreated wood color).
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I wish I had the forethought to take pictures of the damage caused to this tree a few years ago during a terrible storm…but I was in such distress, taking photos was the last thing on my mind! I had completely forgotten to prop up the branches of my tree and watched as 50MPH winds tore through my garden, splitting my tree down the middle – THREE INCHES FROM THE GROUND! I kid you not!
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I was just frantic – as this tree is crucial not only because I love it, but because it blocks an unsightly view of my neighbor’s roofline. It would take me years to get another tree that size (and I’m not known for my patience)! My good gardening friend advised me to round up some neighborhood men to hoist the tree back together, pulling it with a winch (that’s how heavy it was!) and bolt the trunk together ‘Frankenstein-Style’.
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I was skeptical to say the least but you know what? It worked!! This tree NEVER SHOWED ANY SIGNS OF TRAUMA! No wilting, no pouting, no dropping it’s leaves – nada! Well…not exactly. The following year, it never set fruit (focusing it’s energies, instead, on healing itself), but the next year we were back in business.
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I’ve since had several tree experts tell me that Citrus are one of the most resilient trees around – they never seem surprised when I show them my tree’s success. However, every year since that storm when I see it heavy again with fruit, I’m amazed all over again…
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January 22nd, 2010 saat: 12:19 pm
Wow, that is very cool. Obviously we don’t grow citrus here other than the occasional Lemon or Limes, that have to be indoor for a part of the year AND hand pollinated. So to see this is a treat! Luck you.
Also, the Frankenstein treatment is great. I never would have thought it could handle that!
January 22nd, 2010 saat: 1:36 pm
Was that the New Year’s storm 06? That was a doozy! Love your Frankenstein fix! My parents have a similarly venerable tree in their yard, must be close to 50 years old; definitely part of the family! Thanks!
January 22nd, 2010 saat: 2:20 pm
We are near Cape Town in South Africa. Our next town is called Citrusdal, for obvious reasons. Have just planted 2 orange trees. One is called Washington. Do you know the source of the name?
January 22nd, 2010 saat: 2:33 pm
Great to hear from you! This is what I’ve found out on the internet….”Washington navel orange, is also known as the Bahia for the Brazilian city from which it was imported into the United States in 1870. Although its origins are uncertain, it is believed to come from a bud sport found in a Selecta orange tree in the early 1800s. Upon its arrival at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. it was propagated and trees were sent to California and Florida. Although the Florida trees did not flourish, those sent to Eliza Tibbets in Riverside, California found an ideal climate for their culture. These exceptionally delicious, seedless, easy-peeling fruits quickly attracted the attention of citrus growers, and within a decade the “Washington” navel orange, as it came to be known, was the most widely planted variety in the area.”
I hope that helps – best of luck with your trees…..
January 22nd, 2010 saat: 4:37 pm
Wow, that’s some street cred right there. Way to go orange tree! And fabulous idea to “stich” him back together.
January 22nd, 2010 saat: 4:38 pm
Wow, that’s some street cred right there. Way to go orange tree! And fabulous idea to “stitch” him back together.
January 22nd, 2010 saat: 8:04 pm
Pretty studly orange tree you have there. We sure love ours, though it’s only a young 20 or so years old. Sure is productive as heck, with almost no care at all.
January 23rd, 2010 saat: 10:07 pm
I can’t believe that did the trick! Thank goodness for old remedies, your tree looks beautiful!
January 26th, 2010 saat: 6:49 am
I love the first photo that shows the clever way you have echoed the color of the orange fruit with the adjacent tulip planting. Bravo!
And yes, I’m *totally* jealous of your January crop of citrus!
January 28th, 2010 saat: 1:18 am
So so so not fair!! The oranges, the tulips, the sun – beautiful! Clearly a result of your gardening talents and lovely warm part of the world.
January 29th, 2010 saat: 1:40 am
Amazing! I would have thought the damage was too severe for the plant to stay alive.
January 30th, 2010 saat: 7:58 pm
Does this make you the Bride of Frankenstein?
January 31st, 2010 saat: 7:55 am
haha! I guess, in a way, yeah! I definitely have the hair for that role!
January 31st, 2010 saat: 7:58 am
Fern, Susie, Christia and Laura – I agree – the fact that this tree took ‘such a hit’ and wasn’t even phased is amazing…I tell everyone I know about this so the next time their tree suffers in a storm, they’re not so quick to rip it out!
January 31st, 2010 saat: 7:58 am
Thanks..
January 31st, 2010 saat: 7:59 am
Thanks – I love planting the tulips under the tree – some years they’re orange, some years they’re purple….I think I like the orange ones best, tho…
January 31st, 2010 saat: 11:13 pm
Oh Rebecca, your garden (and the oranges) look delectable. Our tree is loaded too and I never take those golden gems for granted. I consider it the greatest pleasure to feast on a freshly picked one every morning (and hopefully for a few months).
Sending love from my sunny garden to yours,
Sharon Lovejoy Writes from Sunflower House and a Little Green Island
February 2nd, 2010 saat: 10:51 am
I have memories of a childhood visit to orange county Ca to visit my aunt and cousins, – my teenage cousin took us scrumping in orange orchards behind their new house which were just about to be pulled down. I remember the wonderful taste (and being afraid that i’d fall down a crack in the earth if there was an earthquake!)
February 3rd, 2010 saat: 8:51 am
that is amazing! I love that story of this amazing orange tree. We had a fantastic orange tree in Phoenix that sounds like this one. How I loved the first firm oranges with their slightly sour sweetness. My mouth is puckering as I write this…..