In addition to collecting rare and unique fruiting plants, we also collect intelligent, resourceful, and interesting team members! We recently asked our team what their favorite fruits are, and want to share one of their answers with you.
Lizzy is one of our newest team members, who joined us in January 2025. She’s a long time friend/customer of the nursery and brings with her an expertise in tropical fruit.
Her favorite fruit tree is the Lemondrop Mangosteen, and we asked her to expand on why she loves growing this tree so much.
Why Lemondrop Mangosteen?
“Lemon drop mangosteens are dual-wielding warriors for home and commercial growers. The trees are beautiful and low-maintenance; the fruits are abundant and tasty.
As a home grower, I’m all about trees that look glorious without much input from me. A Lemondrop Mangosteen tree’s growth habit is aesthetically-pleasing, with a rounded dome shape and lots of dense branching. The dark foliage makes the fruiting tree an even more enticing specimen that pops with color.
As a permaculture enthusiast, I’m further stoked on Lemon Drops because they are favored trees of birds for both visitation and nesting. The ready food source and close-growing branches offer safe nesting habitat. I see bird nests in ~50% of Lemon Drop trees I pick from.
As a commercial grower, I’m pleased to report that these trees grow well from seed, fruit young, and produce plenty.
The fruits themselves are remarkable too: 100% sweet and 100% sour at the same time. I think of lemon candy (but juicy)! Kids love Lemon Drops: they travel well in lunches, they’re fun to eat straight off the tree, and their shelf life is quite decent for a tropical fruit (about 7 days).
These plants are also safe for horses so can be planted in pastures. I highly recommend pairing with a Miracle Fruit tree for an excellent tasting experience!”
If Lizzy has you wanting a Lemondrop Mangosteen, be sure to use the search bar above to order one from our nursery!