The various cultivars ripen at different times, but are generally in season about now. Sweet oranges and lemons are the more popular of citrus. Meyer lemon, which is a hybrid of the two, is the most popular. Mandarin oranges, limes and grapefruit are not as popular, but are certainly more popular than blood oranges, sour oranges, kumquats (which are actually of the genus Fortunella) and the various hybrids and esoteric citrus. Tangerines are incidentally Mandarin oranges that were developed in America instead of Asia.

Of the sweet oranges, Washington navel and Robertson navel are the most popular. Washington navel orange is the classic "eatin' " orange that has a good size, is well-flavored and peels easily. Fruit of the Robertson navel orange is indistinguishable from that of the Washington navel, but is produced in clusters. Washington is more appealing in the garden. Robertson is more practical for orchards because clusters of fruit are easier to harvest than well-dispersed fruit. Of course, garden trees are typically dwarf and orchard trees should be standard. The smaller Valencia oranges are the classic "juice" oranges and are not as easily peeled as the others are.

Like Robertson navel orange, Lisbon lemon is more practical for orchard production. It is more productive than other lemons and produces almost all of the fruit within a minimal season. Eureka lemon is indistinguishable from Lisbon lemon, but is more practical for the garden than the orchard. Fruit is less prolific but is produced throughout the year so that a lemon should be available anytime. Meyer lemon is both prolific and productive throughout the year, but the fruit is a bit too richly flavored for some.

Flower of the Week: Narcissus

Some of the narcissus depicted in Diego Rivera's paintings of cut flower production on the San Mateo County coast had naturalized in fields east of my father's home in Montara. Even after a monster home was built on the site, the remaining old clumps of bulbs bloomed reliably every year. A few of these bulbs that I moved into my own garden bloomed even more impressively after they had been divided from their congested old clumps. They naturalized as well, so that they bloomed every spring afterward. In ideal environments, narcissus will proliferate and form such large and dense clumps that they should be divided every few years.

Narcissus and related daffodils are some of the first bulbs to bloom in spring. Their color range has traditionally been limited to white and yellow, but now includes reddish orange, orange, pink, peach and pale white. The classic "paper-white" narcissus are remarkably fragrant. Most narcissus bloom as clusters of small flowers on top of soft hollow stems, but most daffodil flowers are singular. The flat floral ring of "petals" surrounds the perpendicular central "trumpet" or cup. There is considerable variation of flower size and form among the varieties.

The vertical strap-shaped leaves should be left to fade after bloom. They sustain the newly forming bulbs that will replace the original "bloomed" bulbs to bloom during the following spring. Division of congested clumps should be performed after foliage has abscised.

Narcissus and daffodils that are blooming now were planted early last autumn. Like other bulbs, they may be planted in phases to prolong bloom. However, once naturalized, they will bloom simultaneously each spring. Bulbs that are initially planted closer together will require division sooner. Bloom may be inhibited by too much shade, but may fade if too exposed during unseasonably warm weather. Fresh foliage and bloom are very appealing to hungry snails that proliferate during the same sort of weather that narcissus and daffodils enjoy.

Horticulturist Tony Tomeo can be contacted at 408.358.2574 or at LGHORTICULTURE@aol.com.