‘Flying Dragon’ Hardy Orange
Poncirus trifoliata ‘Flying Dragon’
Plant Details
USDA Plant Hardiness Zones: 5a-10b  Find Your Zone
Plant Type:Â Deciduous Shrub or Small TreeÂ
Height at Maturity:Â 4-5′Â
Width at Maturity:Â 4-5′
Spacing:Â 3′ apart for hedge, 8’+ apart for space between plants
Growth Habit / Form:Â Upright, Rounded, Twisted Branches
Growth Rate:Â Slow
Flower Color:Â White
Flower Size:Â Small
Flowering Period:Â Spring
Flower Type:Â Single
Fragrant Flowers:Â Â Yes
Foliage Color:Â Medium Green
Fragrant Foliage:Â No
Fruit:Â Â Yes
Fruit:Â Yellow
Sun Needs:Â Full Sun or Mostly Sun, Morning Sun with Dappled or Afternoon Shade, Morning Shade with Afternoon Sun
Water Needs:Â Â Average, Low when established
Soil Type:Â Â Clay, Loam, Sandy, Silty
Soil Moisture / Drainage:Â Moist but Well-Drained, drought tolerant when established
Soil pH:Â 5.5 – 7.5 (Acid to Slightly Alkaline)
Maintenance / Care:Â LowÂ
Attracts:Â Visual Attention
Resistances:Â Cold, Deer –Â more info, Drought, Heat
Special Attributes
Always an attention-getter with guests who visit our nursery and gardens at any time of year, the Flying Dragon Hardy Orange is sure to be a conversation piece in any garden. Extremely cold hardy to -20 degrees F, this dwarf selection is especially attractive during the winter months when its deep green contorted stems that twist in every direction, huge hook-like thorns, and golf ball sized round yellow fruits are most visible. In early spring, loads of beautiful, citrus-scented white flowers take the stage, contrasting beautifully with the dark stems. Can be grown in garden beds and is especially dramatic in containers. In the ground, Flying Dragon might reach 10 to 12 feet tall over time…a very long time…but in containers is rarely seen over 3 to 4 feet.
Are the fruits of the Flying Dragon Hardy Orange edible? Yes, but this isn’t one you eat fresh picked. Unlike oranges, the 2″ diameter fruit contains an abundance of seeds and very little pulp, and the taste is very sour. That said, the rind is often candied and the pulp made into marmalade. In Germany, the juice of this fruit is stored for a two-week period and then made into syrup used for flavoring.
Landscape & Garden Uses
The Flying Dragon Hardy Orange can be grown in the ground or in pots. In the ground, if left to grow naturally, it can reach a height of 10 to 12 feet over a very long period of time but is rarely seen over 5 to 6 feet tall. In pots, it might reach 3 to 4 feet in height. Wherever you decide to plant this wicked looking beauty, though the species is often used as an impenetrable hedge, we think it is best used as a specimen in the landscape.
Suggested Spacing:Â 3 to 4 feet for hedges
Growing Preferences
The Flying Dragon Hardy Orange is easy to grow in most any average moist but well-drained soil however is quite drought tolerant when established. It prefers full sun but will tolerate part shade. Doesn’t require pruning however responds well to it after flowering in spring.
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Good looking tree , properly packed.————————————We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
We received our Citrus trifoliata “Flying Dragon” in the mail in perfect condition! I have already planted in our client’s yard and he is very pleased. Thank you for growing such a beautiful spooky plant as well as your excellent packing and mailing!————————————————–Wow! We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
Sooo beautiful from day 1.————————————–Thank you so much for the photo! We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
This is an outstanding landscape specimen at an incredible price! I have purchased several plants from Wilson Bros. and highly recommend them.————————————————-We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
[Buying plants online is always a gamble. You need photos to be informed. Every time I buy a plant I plan to take a photo for the benefit of future buyers]. I wanted something that would make a statement every season. Saw this and decided to get it. The first picture shows how the plant arrived. The leaves were a little curled but as you can see from the second picture, it was hot (with 80% humidity). I would have been shocked if there wasn’t heat stress. The plant already had fruit on it which was a pleasant surprise. Some of the fruit fell off in shipping but that’s to be expected. I plan on buying at least one (maybe 2 or 3) more.——————————————-Thanks so much for the photos! We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the great review! Beth | WBG 🙂
I have 4 Flying Dragons growing here on our Suburban property in NJ…. A very Hardy Plant all around–NOTHING Bothers it and I get tons of Fruit which I make into a Drink tasting like Lemon Pineapple Juice… Just add a lot of Sugar. My Plants are 17 years old and expect them to go another 100+. These dudes can handle full or part Sun, even very shady location, and even the soggy clay soil near the downspout of my gutters is fine. Don’t be afraid to Trim the Lower Branches and root suckers and waterspouts that come up from the trunk.. I trim mine to give One major trunk, or 2 on a few. The weird fun thing about these guys is they don’t know which way is UP, so you have to help them and trim the branches that point in weird directions, and choose which branches you want to make the leaders. In winter when it loses its leaves it looks even better, like a weird Twisted Chinese tree. The fruit is really a Blast–when people see a Lime sized ORANGE growing outside on a tree in the ground here in NJ they can’t believe it !! Yes definitely put these guys IN THE GROUND they Love the FREEZING COLD believe me, mine have handled some winters of nearly ZERO DEGREES no problem !!————————————————————–I hope you are well! Thanks for letting us know, we are so glad you are pleased!
Have a great day! Beth 🙂
Have a great day! Beth 🙂
I am so excited to find a small citrus fruit tree that will survive zone 5 here in Denver. The Flaming Dragon Orange is a beautiful, “contorted” small tree that will give me fruit to make marmalade and candied rinds. It arrived healthy with a well established root system and I am so happy to have found such a great nursery.——————————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
Unique, large, healthy tree perfectly packaged. That has been my experience with all my purchases at Wilson Bros Gardens.—————————————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
My plant arrived safely, well packaged, and healthy. It had clear new growth and grew more in the few weeks since. Thank you.—————————————————–We are so glad you are pleased and we hope you enjoy it for years to come! Thanks for the kind words and great review! 🙂 Beth Steele | WBG
Plant arrived quickly, was carefully packaged, and was in great condition with small leaves all over it. It also showed growth within a few days and has adjusted well. Appreciated care instructions included in shipment. Very pleased with my flying dragon. Thank you!——————————-We are so glad you are pleased with your purchase! Thanks for the kind words and great review! Beth | WBG 🙂



































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