Gin and Juniper Gift Set

Lemon Meyer

This plant will eventually produce both tasty fruit and fragrant flowers – sometimes both at once. It is a variety called Lemon Meyer with round sweet lemons and can bring pleasure for years, with the right care.

Lemon trees need plenty of light. A conservatory is ideal, but they will also be happy near a sunny window. In the summer, your lemon plant will enjoy a patio or sheltered spot in the garden. However, young trees are not hardy and will need to come inside as soon as there is a nip in the evening air. Try to keep your plant away from cold draughts and radiators.

Water thoroughly from the top when the soil starts to look dry and let the excess water drain away completely. You might find it needs watering almost every day when it is hot in the summer but as little as once a fortnight in winter. It will depend on the weather and how warm your room is. The roots should not stand in water. The best way to judge whether your plant needs watering is to get used to the right weight for the watered pot. If the leaves begin to curl this is a sign that your plant is thirsty, you should water straight away.

Lemons grow quite slowly; and tend to rest and fruit during the winter. In the spring these young plants should start to put on new growth and can be re-potted into a larger pot using citrus or free draining compost as they grow. As a general rule, lemon trees tend to produce flowers in late spring a few of which will set to become small green fruits that can take 10 months or more to grow and turn yellow. However, in this country many varieties don’t follow a strict season and can fruit or flower at any point during the year.

Problem solving: Lemon trees are not the easiest of plants, but they are very rewarding. Look out for signs of trouble and try to treat problems early. The most common problem is leaves dropping due to over or under watering. If leaves are crisp when they drop, this is due to underwatering; if they are leathery the chances are it has been over watered. A return to a regular and thorough watering routine should lead to recovery.

If new growth is very light in colour or has mottled markings your plant may be lacking trace elements. A good dose of citrus feed should soon green up the leaves. Our lemon trees are grown in a pesticide free environment. In the unlikely event that you find pests e.g. aphids. these can be removed by hand or with a soap and water spray. To order citrus feed and for more detailed information on citrus tree care, watering and problem-solving visit

Juniper

This young evergreen tree will eventually grow into a sizeable bush and can produce fragrant fruits for flavouring gin and desserts. Young trees are quite happy indoors for a few weeks but longer term they will prefer a spot in the garden.

If inside make sure your plant gets plenty of daylight, by putting it near a window. A cool room or a light porch is best, and it will be happiest away from any radiators. If you have a garden or a patio then your tree will prefer to be outside longer term and are incredibly hardy taking temperatures right down to -20C.

When in a small pot, young trees will need some watering, especially if your room is centrally heated.

Juniperus communis will eventually grow into a full size tree several metres tall but it will grow slowly and can be kept to a manageable size by restricting the size of the pot. To encourage lots of growth either repot your tree in Spring or plant it out in the garden. To keep it smaller repot your tree into just a slightly bigger pot in Spring 2020.

Please note juniper bushes can either develop as male or female plants and only a female plant will produce the fragrant berries. These plants are grown from seed so it's not possible to know whether your plant is male or female but as it gets older look out for yellow cone shaped male flowers or the round green flowers on the female. The green female flowers are fertilized by wind blown male pollen so there is always a good chance that if you have a female plant you will get ripe berries in due course.

Problem Solving: Juniper trees are tough trees that require little maintenance. They tolerate a wide range of temperatures and soil types and can be grown in sun or part shade.

New shoots are a different colour – in the spring and summer your plant should begin to put on new leaves, don’t worry if they are a lighter colour than the existing leaves, they will colour up over a few weeks.

New shoots are drooping – new shoots are more tender than established branches and may droop if exposed to hot or cold temperatures, ensure they are fully watered and try to keep in an even frost free temperature until the young leaves have matured and changed colour.

Dropping needles are almost always due to underwatering, make sure the soil is really wet.