The Myrtle-Levaed Bitter Orange or Chinotto, Citrus x aurantium var. myrtifolia, a triumph of scent

The Myrtle-Levaed Bitter Orange or Chinotto, also known as sour orange ( Citrus x aurantium var. myrtifolia ) is a plant combining beautiful foliage, fragrant flowers and edible fruits. It is a small tree up to 3 metres tall, characterized by a very compact habit and by leaves very similar to the common Myrtle (Myrtus communis). The flowers are about 2.5 cm, white, and incredbily fragrant, with a gorgeous citrus scent (unsurprisingly as this is indeed a citrus fruit tree) and very intense. The fruits are green when unripen but then ripen to orange. Even if the taste is quite bitter even when fully ripe, the fruits are used as flavouring agents in soft drinks and in the Campari and are also used for production of candied fruits. This plant is tolerant of short drops in temperatures down to - 5 degreees Celsius, however it is intolerant of persisting frozen conditions, in which case is recommended to place the plant in a cold greenhouse or unheated conservatory. It is a beautiful plant for a conservatory or a patio indeed, because its beautiful and dense foliage and compact habit are very ornamental, with the added bonus of a multitude of flowers during blooming and the production of edible fruits, that even if too sour for being eaten fresh, are great making candied fruits and marmalades. It can be grown outside in USDA zones 8 to 11, thriving in well drained soil and full sun. In the UK can be grown outside in a sheltered positions in Southern England, however considering that many parts of the country are characterized by a combination of wet and cold conditions, with snow quite common in winter especially in central nad northern areas, it is recommended to protect the plant during winter as described above in greenhouses or conservatories. I hope that you enjoyed the video, and if you liked it and you would like to support my YouTube garden channel and have regular updates, it would be great if you would subscribe to my channel by clicking on the button "subscribe". Also, any comments, positive or negative, is very welcome as well as any of your enquiries, to which I will try to respond as soon as possible. Thanks for watching and I hope to see you in my next video. If you are interested in winter blooming plants, I am sure you will like this playlist    • Winter flowers for British gardens: hardy ...   If you are interested in fragrant hardy plants, I am sure you will like this playlist    • Most fragrant plants hardy in the UK ideal...   If you are interested in fragrant flower bulbs, I am sure you will like this playlist    • Most fragrant and best scented flower bulb...   If you are interested in plants for insect pollinators, I am sure you will like this playlist    • Pollinator - friendly plants / bees and bu...   If you are interested in plants for shade, I am sure you will like this playlist    • My best plants for shade: plants that thri...   If you are interested in unusual and exotic fruits, I am sure you will like this playlist    • Exotic fruits   If you are interested in outdoor hardy garden orchids, I am sure you will like this playlist    • Garden orchids growing in the UK   If you are interested in indoor tropical orchids, I am sure you will like this playlist    • Orchids growing in the UK - indoors orchids