Arif. A shady garden has it's cooler advantages in the hot summers. But at the same time, I don't get to enjoy certain flowers, in fact, in our heat, we are very limited with flower color and so I have learned to color my garden with foliage and texture.
We think along the same lines~ I have thought to put up large decorative mirrors against a wall to do just that, bring sunshine and light into a dark shaded corner. But I am afraid with the amount of rain and wind we get and my OCD (I joke-sorta), it would make me crazy to keep those mirrors clean and sparkly always. Our sprinkler would also leave hard water marks on the mirrors. I have thought again and again about it and I truly think mirrors would make one more chore that I don't need.
The little citrus trees are in 3 gallon pots awaiting their new 7 gallon homes. They will stay in there for 2-3 years. Then next size will be a 15 gallon and that will be it for the rest of their lives. I have been cautioned not to put them into bigger pots too soon as too much energy is put into the root system to fill up a too-large pot instead of growing. Prudent trimming will keep the trees a manageable size and keep the fruit easy to reach.
Later, if it appears to be root bound, the roots would be trimmed as you would a bonsai. I am not familiar with all this yet but it makes sense to me. I, too have seen trees full of fruit in small pots. I hope I can learn to be a successful potted lemon tree grower.
I can protect the trees on the front porch. I read the longer they stay in the cold weather, the more cold hardy they become. I have no intention of bringing them indoors but I will if for some unforseen reason we have a long, unusual cold snap. But as you say, a simple cover protection from frost is simple to do.
