I had a lemon tree that died during the freeze & I cut it down & am now planting a new one. You can see where I cut it down in the photos below. Can I plant the new one in this same area, or would it be too close to the remaining bark of the old one? Not sure if it's OK to plant a tree that close to where the old bark is bc of root growth...

Does it get enough sunlight there? Much more critically can you protect it from cold there (by covering it with straw mats and the like) in case of another cold wave? You should also pull the stump from the ground, till that soil and add some organic material (homemade compost, manure etc) to improve the texture. That's some really bad looking soil.

Your best bet would be to plant a lemon in a large container atop a wheeled platform such as this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lavex...
There's an elderly couple nearby who has many citrus trees, all potted and all on similar devices: they just move them inside the house when needed and they are the best looking citrus trees I've seen outside growing areas.

@ElPolloDiablo yes it gets ample light! Ha, yeah soil in my backyard isn't the best..very clay-like but the old lemon tree thrived there! We'd get so much lemons so I think it's better than it looks. If I decided not to pot it, could i place the new one there so close to the stump or should I find a new place?

If you want to put it there, pull the stump, work the soil with a spade, rake the soil evenly, water it once every forthnight and let it rest for a few months. That's to allow as many old roots as possible to decompose. You should also work some organic matter into the ground while you are at it: if the old tree had been there for so long it surely drained it of nutrients. Failing that you can just drop some regular NPK fertilizer before planting.

Just curious, what was the old one and what's the new one?
I have a potted dwarf Eureka so I'm always interested in posts about lemon trees.

Don't worry about the roots of the old tree. Since it died from cold and not a disease there is no issue. As long as the old tree was growing fine, the new one should too.

@Deeby Not sure about the old but the new is Meyer!

@calpolygardener Im just concerned the old one might actually have been alive when it was cut, which is why I think I'm just gonna plant it elsewhere

I've grown Meyer too. A wonderful lemon!

NewGardener95 said:@calpolygardener Im just concerned the old one might actually have been alive when it was cut, which is why I think I'm just gonna plant it elsewhere

My instinct was it may have been cut too quickly. You may have suckers sprout from the base. If it were grafted stock, it may not produce the same as the original tree. I agree, I would remove the stump.

It appears that location was fairly sheltered and should have protected it well from normal winter cold. This past February was not normal.

What crossed my mind while looking at your photo was the proximity to the foundation of your building. I would be concerned about roots reaching under the foundation and damaging it.

I lost two lemons in February. Mine were in large containers but I wasn't home so wasn't able to save them. I intend to replace at least one. Good luck with your new tree!

I wonder if he's planted the new tree and where?