I've decided what to do with the rest of my life: grow a lemon tree

My first attempt at nurturing one from seed looked promising, but ultimately failed. Armed with expert advice – and hopefully enough years – I’m trying again

You know you’re getting on a bit when you find yourself paying attention to Gardeners’ Question Time on Radio 4. I’ve been dimly aware of it for ever, but never actually listened properly, other than to gently scorn the twee Britishness of it. And, of course, to wonder at the name of one panellist: Bob Flowerdew.

I’ve turned the corner from fond mockery to rapt attention in a surprisingly short amount of time – a matter of minutes. It happened on a Sunday last month when I had left the radio on by mistake. Someone had written in with a question about what might grow well in a pot on a terrace facing north-west. At this, my ears pricked up like a pair of bamboo shoots. Hang on a minute, I thought, I’ve got a terrace on which some azaleas are thriving. Before I knew it, I was out there with a compass. And, yes, it turns out it is indeed a north-west facing terrace.

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