It made an excellent door substitute, she maintained.

The tree kept out the rain, allowed the breeze in, and also provided lemons. It also sounded enormous, and prickly, possibly a bush lemon or citronelle.

I've just been given dwarf lemonade tree, which is a much better ornament for a small garden.

It was presented to me by a young man who is extremely fond of picking fruit to make home-made lemonade, and the lemonade tree is perfect for that; lots of thin-skinned, highly lemony, but not too acid fruit, sweet enough to eat from the tree.

Best of all, dwarf lemonade trees grow only 1-2 metres tall, and can be trimmed to keep them neat, too.

Lemonade trees give two crops a year, usually between June to October, with a few fruit now and then at other times of the year.

They fruit about two years after planting, officially. In reality you may get a handful of fruit a few months after you've dug it in, especially if it's been well grown and you cosset it with regular watering and possibly a seaweed-based foliar spray.

The only drawback is that lemonade trees can be a bit thorny, but if you prune off the thorns they won't grow back again.

Quite a lot of citrus are grown on dwarf rootstock these days, perfect for small backyards, pots or courtyards.

There are dwarf Tahitian limes, dwarf seedless Valencia oranges, dwarf eureka lemons, many varieties of dwarf mandarin and a rather seedy dwarf grapefruit, Honneff's surprise. Possibly he was astonished at how many seeds could fit into one grapefruit.

You can also buy the Japanese citrus yuzu in dwarf form, as well as dwarf Tahitian limes, dwarf Malabar limes and a dwarf blood grapefruit, which really needs warmer climates than Canberra provides for good growth and deep scarlet colour.

Dwarf citrus are perfect for our climate, where sheltered sunny spots are not always easy to find.

You can even dash out on frosty nights and cover your dwarf citrus with a blanket or bubble wrap, to protect it from cold damage.

If you want a true show-off citrus, grow a chinotto.

Chinotto trees are small, extremely ornamental citrus with pointed glossy leaves and small fruit, about the size a cumquat.

The fruit is bitter straight off the tree, but once the fruit or juice is heated it becomes sweeter, with a more pronounced citrus flavour.

The candied chinotto rind is the traditional flavouring for Panettone, with a tang that no other candied citrus can give.

The whole fruit can be used to make an excellent cordial or liqueur, as long as the recipe involves cooking. Only birds really relish eating raw chinotto.

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All citrus a relatively shallow rooted. This means the roots won't attempt to overturn your foundations, but citrus trees do need regular watering, and don't survive drought well, though I have been surprised how many dead looking citrus have produced leaves and even flowers after after 12 months of looking decidedly deceased after the bushfires.

Mulch your trees well, but not quite up to the trunk or it may develop collar rot, and make sure the mulch extends beyond the edge of the leaves, the drip line, to encourage roots to grow further out.

Citrus are also heavy feeders. After all, they feed you well, too.

Scatter on a good rich organise fertiliser on top of the mulch in early spring and mid-summer, and water it in.

Most citrus are winter bearers, and this is the time we need them most, too, not just for their vitamin c , but for the cheery brightness of gold or orange fruit among the rich green leaves.

And, just possibly, I may even get one or two fruit this winter from my new lemonade tree, enough for delicious home-made lemonade.