Birds and Bees

Meyer Lemon Tree

Apollo and Daphne

I was given a Meyer Lemon tree by a friend of ours (Rega) a couple of weeks ago; she helped me pot it and set it in a corner in the breakfast area where there is plenty of southern exposure.  She has joked about naming the tree, Daphne, after the unfortunate maiden who, in order to evade the pursuit of Apollo, was transformed into a laurel tree. The Y-shaped lemon tree seems to bear a certain resemblance to the painting of Daphne pictured above.  Within a few days after we potted it, clusters of small white buds began to appear on the tree, which blossomed into fragrant white flowers with delicate yellow anthers shortly afterwards. 

Delicate Operation

As I've never cultivated a fruit tree indoors before, Rega advised that I would need to take on the work of birds and bees outdoors and perform, so to speak, artificial insemination on the tree, i.e., assist in its self-pollination, so that it could bear fruit indoors.  How fascinating!  I was a little daunted by the delicate operation but with the help of on-line instructions, some Q-tips, and a magnifying glass at hand, I was ready for the task.  I look forward to harvesting plenty of lemons next spring.