The bitter and sweet : A guide to choosing citrus for your yard

The fruit on your neighbor's citrus tree is changing colors. The peel on lemons looks more yellow. The peel on grapefruits, more pink. And the orange-red hue of the oranges and tangelos has deepened. Clearly, it's harvest time. But it's citrus-tree-planting time, too. In a region flush with cactus and spindly tall palm trees, growing citrus is relatively easy. For more than 100 years in metro Phoenix, citrus groves existed in urban and rural areas. The Arcadia neighborhood in central Phoenix is known for its citrus trees. Power Ranch in Gilbert once had hundreds and hundreds of acres of citrus before it was developed, said Olas Lunt, 60, a Maricopa County master-gardener volunteer.