SINCE CITRUS THRIVES in San Diego’s mild climate, why limit your crop to only navel oranges or eureka lemons. Here are a few exotic options prized by foodies and chefs: blood orange with red-blushed fruit and flesh and hints of raspberry flavor; ‘Improved Meyer’ lemon, prized for its lemon-orange juice; fat pummelo with tangy-sweet pink flesh under a puffy peel; satsuma Mandarin orange — honey sweet and seedless; kaffir lime with leaves that flavor Asian food; and Buddha’s hand citron, a many-fingered fruit that perfumes the whole house as well as food. May is a good time to plant any of these trees in the ground or containers.

For a planting guide and growing tips, visit mastergardenerssandiego.org.