Columbia's citrus grove
By Jackie Perrone
jacper@juno.com

Ben Salley with one of his orange trees.

Some people travel to Florida to stock up on oranges and grapefruit, but Richard Croxton brought Florida to Columbia and picks the fruit in his own back yard.

"Mother Nature did it all," he said. "I just followed the routine and waited around to pick the harvest."

This retired professor came to Columbia from his native Kissimmee, FL and taught math at USC for 35 years. After leaving the classroom, he found gardening to be his consuming passion.

His two- plus acres bordering the Broad River in Columbia have produced bountiful crops of vegetables, flowers, and shrubs.

Towering above the beds is a gorgeous 20- foot tree with glossy leaves, which came through with about 400 grapefruit in 2007.

"I didn't even plan it. I have always composted the kitchen scraps, and a few years ago, this grapefruit tree seedling just volunteered up from the compost heap." he said. "I transplanted it and sat back and watched. I don't do anything to protect it. It seems to get along just fine in our Columbia winters. When that late freeze came along recently, it had already produced its crop."

Richard Croxton and his grapefruit tree.

He notes the irony in the medication he takes at age 91.

"I had the outdoor table covered with about 30 ripe grapefruit, which we press to make juice, when I went to my doctor and was prescribed a cholesterol medicine that cannot be taken with grapefruit. Now my wife has it all to herself."

The citrus bug has also taken hold of Croxton's neighbor Ben Salley. A tour of his yard includes orange, grapefruit, lemon, and kumquat trees, along with kiwi and other plants that might be considered exotic for Columbia.

Salley thinks the fragrance may have been the bait that hooked him.

"When those trees are blossoming, the perfume carries across the neighborhood. It's just a sweet something to come home to," Salley said.

He credits their secluded location and the nearby Broad River with the fruit tree success.

"Lots of water will help plants get through the winter season successfully. And we have big trees here, which provide a wind-break and some protection from the cold."

Salley also has worked out another protection. He strings Christmas lights on the trees and turns them on in cold weather. They seem to provide just enough heat to prevent damage.

Although a native of Columbia, Salley also found his inspiration in Florida. He's formed a lasting friendship at the Flying Dragon citrus nursery in Jacksonville where he bought many of his starter plants.

Now Salley talks knowledgeably about such orange varieties as pink navel, ambersweet, and blood oranges, along with the Ponderosa lemon, which is half citron. He also credits the Citrus Seminar at Riverbanks Zoo.

"If you are lucky enough to have the right location, these so- called tropical plants can make it in Columbia." Salley said. "Sometimes a real cold spell can do some damage, but most of the time they'll be right back next year. The late freeze in April did not affect me much because the season was over for most of these trees."