The vibrant orange color really brightens up my day. They stand out in the garden and remind me of summer, even on cold and gray days. I love the smell of oranges and citrus, and have been researching ways to make air fresheners and new recipes with the mandarins.
They can be found in many tropical regions. In the United States, oranges and mandarins grow well in Florida and California. Here in Italy, they can be spotted across most of the central and southern parts of the country. They are common in gardens throughout Europe, and, especially in the past, they represented the wealth of the garden’s owners. They are occasionally found in the wild in southeast Asia, but elsewhere are only found in gardens or orchards. Mandarins and other citrus fruits have been cultivated over hundreds of years, and are included in many culturally important recipes, stories and traditions.
Mandarin trees grow well in warm or hot climates, sunny days and a decent amount of rain. They rely on bees and other pollinators to fertilize the flowers so that they will develop fruit. If they aren’t picked from the tree when ripe, the mandarins will fall to the ground and rot. The rotting fruit may look a little gross, but the decomposing mandarins actually act as compost and help the tree grow stronger and healthier! The decomposing fruit also helps the plants around the mandarin trees, making the entire garden bloom even brighter. Birds, butterflies, wasps and more feed on the fruit too.
