Ponderosa Lemon - “The American Wonder Lemon”
A Brief History of Logee's Famous Ponderosa Lemon Tree
If you haven’t heard about the famous Ponderosa Lemon story, then we’ll gladly tell it again. In 1900, Grandfather Logee ordered a Ponderosa Lemon Tree via a mail order company in Philadelphia. The plant traveled by train to northeast Connecticut, and with great anticipation, was picked up at the train station by horse and buggy and brought to Logee’s. The original tree thrived. It became so big in its pot that Grandfather Logee decided to plant it directly into the ground. It has been planted in the same spot ever since, growing so large that we call this greenhouse "The Lemon Tree House."
More than a century later, the same Ponderosa Lemon tree still stands today, producing lemons the size of small melons. Thousands of cuttings have been taken from the tree, and thousands of visitors have come to pay homage, including Katherine Hepburn, Tasha Tudor and Martha Stewart. And if you visit Logee’s during the holidays, you’ll be sure to witness an abundance of ripe fruit on the tree. You may even be able to sample one!
The Ponderosa lemon was originally developed in Italy as a hybrid between a Citron (which has large pointed fruit) and a table lemon. The tree bears fruit weighing up to 5 pounds! The fun begins when the heavy surge of fragrant white flowers emerge each spring. Then tiny lemons appear. Wonder Lemons have the reputation for not knowing when “enough is enough.” They continue to grow to enormous proportions, even though the plant remains an easily manageable size.
Learn More About Our Ponderosa Lemon Trees for Sale
It's tremendously satisfying to grow your own Ponderosa Lemon tree, and be able to harvest large, juicy lemons. It can be grown in a large container in northern zones or planted directly in the garden in zone 10. Grow in full sun for optimum plant health and fruiting. We currently offer two sizes of the Ponderosa lemon tree for sale online and in our retail store in Danielson, CT. Click on one of the links below for more information on how to buy our Ponderosa Lemon trees online: