Orange

Barnfield Navel

Barnfield Navel is a premium late-season navel orange selected in Australia and first identified in 1985 on the property of Wayne Barnfield at Ellerslie, New South Wales. It belongs to a well-known series of very late Australian navel selections (alongside Summer Gold, Powell, Chislett and Toomey) bred to stretch the navel season. The tree is a moderately vigorous, rounded grower that crops reliably. Fruit are large, with bright orange, easy-to-peel skin and seedless, sweet, juicy flesh of classic dessert-navel quality. In New Zealand conditions Barnfield ripens late and holds well on the tree into the summer months, when winter navels are finished, making it a valuable season-extender for the home orchard. Fruit are best eaten fresh; like other navels they are superb for lunchboxes and fresh juice but should be juiced only when fully ripe, as navel juice can turn bitter on standing. Keeping quality is good both on the tree and in cool storage. Grow in full sun in deep, well-drained soil with regular water through fruit development, shelter from strong wind, and frost protection in cold districts; feed with citrus fertiliser in spring and summer.

Best's Seedless

Best's Seedless is a classic New Zealand selection of navel orange whose mother tree is an old tree in Blenheim that is still healthy and bearing large crops after many years. The tree is a dependable, rounded grower that produces masses of medium-sized fruit with relatively smooth orange skin. The flesh is sweet, juicy and near-seedless, maturing through spring with the main New Zealand harvest running from August to November. It is the archetypal home-orchard dessert orange: easy to peel, lunchbox-friendly, and excellent eaten fresh, with surplus fruit juicing well for immediate drinking. Like most navels it is best eaten rather than stored long, with moderate keeping quality; fruit also holds reasonably on the tree through its harvest window. New Zealand nurseries note that, as with all seedless citrus, fruit can develop seeds if cross-pollinated by another citrus flowering at the same time. Plant in full sun in deep, well-drained soil, water deeply through establishment and fruiting, mulch, and feed with balanced citrus fertiliser in spring and summer. Available on standard Trifoliata rootstock (3-4 m tree) or dwarfed on Flying Dragon (around 2 m, suited to pots and small gardens).

Blood Orange - Ruby

Blood Orange Ruby is an older Mediterranean variety of blood orange that produces medium-sized, slightly oblong to oval fruit with a rich flavour and tender, juicy flesh. The flesh shows red anthocyanin pigmentation over an orange base, sometimes with a red blush on the rind, but Ruby is famously one of the most inconsistently coloured blood oranges: local climate governs how much red develops, and cool autumn and winter nights during ripening give the deepest colour, so New Zealand fruit varies by district and season. The flavour is sweet and juicy with the distinctive berry or strawberry-like note that sets blood oranges apart from standard oranges. Fruit can carry some seeds. In New Zealand it ripens mid-season and is eaten fresh as a premium dessert orange; it also makes striking fresh juice and segments for salads and desserts. Keeping quality is moderate. Grow in the warmest, sunniest, frost-free position available, as warmth plus cool ripening nights gives the best colour and sweetness; standard citrus care applies with full sun, free-draining soil, regular water in fruiting season and spring-summer feeding.

Cara Cara

Cara Cara is a pink-fleshed navel orange (natural sport of Washington navel discovered 1976 at Hacienda Cara Cara, Venezuela) listed by Waimea Nurseries (ORANGE Cara Cara) and sold by Flying Dragon Nursery. Flying Dragon calls it a staff favourite: rosy-pink flesh that is sweeter and lower in acid than a standard navel with rich berry-like depth, medium-to-large virtually seedless fruit, same easy habit and reliable cropping as Washington navel. Ripens July-September. Fills the pigmented-navel gap next to the catalog's Blood Orange Ruby.

Carter's Navel

Carter's Navel is a popular navel orange producing large, sweet, seedless fruit of excellent quality, with fine-textured, juicy flesh and easy-to-peel orange skin. The tree is a reliable, rounded grower for New Zealand home orchards. One of its most valued traits is its exceptional ability to hold fruit on the tree without deteriorating, giving a long, extended harvest window from around July through September and removing any pressure to pick the whole crop at once. Flavour is sweet and juicy, ideal for fresh eating, lunchboxes and fresh juice. Keeping quality is good, both hanging on the tree and picked. It performs best in warm, sheltered positions and is well suited to coastal and northern New Zealand; give it full sun, fertile free-draining soil, steady water while fruiting, and regular citrus feeding in the growing months. Self-fertile like all citrus, though seedless fruit stays seedless only if not cross-pollinated by nearby citrus flowering at the same time.

Cipo ( weeping orange )

Cipo, the weeping orange, is something a little different: a naturally weeping and cascading orange tree with soft, ferny foliage, usually sold as a grafted standard with the weeping head atop a straight stem. Beneath the ornamental curtain it produces medium-sized, juicy, very sweet oranges, ripening from July to September, giving a reliable harvest year after year. The fruit is classic sweet-orange quality for fresh eating, while the tree itself is a genuine garden feature, handsome enough to sit under and look up through. In New Zealand it suits a prominent sunny position as a specimen or patio tree, and standards also grow well in large containers. Give it full sun, fertile free-draining soil, regular water during establishment and fruiting, mulch, and balanced citrus feeding in spring and summer. Prune only to remove dead wood or to lift the weeping canopy; as with all standards, rub off any suckers from below the graft union. Seed content is not well documented for this variety.

Delta (summer ripening)

Delta is a South African Valencia-type orange, also known as Delta Seedless, found in 1952 as a dooryard seedling and thought to be of Valencia parentage. It is classed as an early or near-seedless Valencia, effectively bringing the Valencia harvest window forward while keeping true Valencia character. Trees are vigorous and slightly more erect than other Valencias. The fruit is a classic sweet summer orange: bright-skinned, juicy and sweet with very few seeds, ripening in the warmer months when navel oranges are out of season. In New Zealand that makes Delta a Late harvester on the relative orange scale, a genuine summer orange for fresh eating and, above all, juicing, since Valencias are the juicing oranges par excellence. Valencia fruit also holds well on the tree, allowing an extended picking window into early autumn, and keeping quality is good. Grow in full sun with warmth and shelter for best sugar development, in deep free-draining soil with steady water through summer and regular feeding; allow space for a vigorous tree, on standard or semi-dwarf rootstock.

Fukumoto

Fukumoto is a Japanese navel orange variety prized as one of the first navels to ripen, often ready from April in New Zealand, giving the earliest home-grown navel fruit of the season. The tree is an attractive, moderately vigorous grower. Its trademark is the fruit's unusually deep orange-red rind colour, among the most deeply pigmented of any navel, which makes it as appealing to the eye as to the taste buds. Fruit are medium to large, round, sweet, juicy and seedless, with wonderful sweet flavour for fresh dessert eating. As an early winter ripener it sits at the Early end of the New Zealand orange scale. Keeping quality is moderate; enjoy fruit fresh through its season. Nurseries note it stays seedless only if not cross-pollinated by other citrus in flower at the same time, and it performs best in warm areas of New Zealand. Plant in full sun in fertile, free-draining soil, water steadily through establishment and fruiting, mulch well, and feed with citrus fertiliser in spring and summer.

Harwood Late - Summer ripening

Harwood Late, sold as Harwoods Late, is a New Zealand selection of Valencia orange, the main commercial orange type, and a standout summer-ripening variety for home orchards. The tree is larger-growing and vigorous, noted for high yields of thin-skinned, juicy fruit with excellent sweet flavour. Fruit ripens through the summer, with nursery harvest charts spanning November to March, and holds well on the tree across that long season, so picking can be spread over many weeks. As a Valencia it is first and foremost a juicing orange, producing abundant sweet juice, though it is equally pleasant eaten fresh out of hand. On the relative New Zealand orange scale it is firmly Late, filling the gap when winter navels are long finished. Keeping quality is good. Give it room to reach its naturally larger size, in full sun with warmth for sugar development, deep well-drained soil, regular summer water and steady feeding in the growing months. Like all citrus it is self-fertile; thin-skinned fruit should be handled gently at picking.

Midknight (summer ripening)

Midknight Valencia, usually sold as Midknight, is a South African Valencia selection of unknown exact parentage, originating in the Eastern Cape, and one of the finest summer-ripening oranges available in New Zealand. The tree is vigorous and thornless, and notably productive. Fruit is medium to large, virtually seedless, sweet and exceptionally juicy, with the high juice content Valencias are famous for. It ripens in the warmer months, firmly Late on the New Zealand orange scale, and a particular virtue is that fruit holds well on the tree, allowing an extended harvest stretching into early autumn. It is a true dual-purpose orange: handsome dessert fruit for fresh eating and a top-tier juicing orange. Keeping quality is good. Plant in full sun in a warm position for best sweetness, in fertile free-draining soil with reliable summer water, mulch, and regular citrus feeding; allow space for a vigorous tree. Self-fertile.

Navel

The generic Navel orange is the classic Washington-type winter navel: large, juicy, seedless fruit with bright orange, relatively easy-to-peel skin and sweet, juicy flesh, borne on a dependable rounded tree. In New Zealand winter navels ripen at the Early end of the orange scale, roughly from midwinter into spring depending on district and season. This is the archetypal fresh-eating orange for lunchboxes and the table, best eaten fresh; surplus fruit makes delicious juice for immediate drinking, though navel juice can turn bitter if stored. Keeping quality is moderate, and fruit is best enjoyed in season. Standard citrus care applies: full sun, shelter from strong wind, deep well-drained soil, steady water through establishment and fruiting, mulch, and citrus fertiliser in spring and summer, with frost protection in cold districts. Note that where a named selection is known (Carter's Navel, Parent Navel, Best's Seedless, Fukumoto and others), its record gives more precise season and habit information than this generic entry.

Parent Navel

Parent Navel is a traditional navel orange treasured for its sweet flavour, practically seedless fruit and smooth, easy-to-peel skin. The tree is a heavy producer of large, very juicy and sweet oranges with glossy evergreen foliage and scented white flowers through the summer months, combining ornamental appeal with productivity for New Zealand home orchards and lifestyle blocks. Fruit typically ripens in late winter, at the Early end of the New Zealand orange scale, and is excellent for fresh eating and juicing. Because it sets heavily, it needs regular fertiliser through the fruit-growing months, and lightly thinning the young fruit set lets the remaining oranges grow large. Keeping quality is moderate; enjoy fruit through the winter season. Self-fertile, so a single tree fruits alone, though fruit stays seedless only if not cross-pollinated by nearby citrus in flower. Plant in full sun in fertile, free-draining soil with steady water and mulch; protect from hard frosts in cold districts.

Summer Navel

Summer Navel is, as the name promises, a navel orange that bears its fruit in summer, when ordinary winter navels are long out of season. For lovers of sweet fresh oranges it fills the seasonal gap, delivering classic navel eating quality, sweet and juicy, seedless and easy to peel, in the warmer months. The tree grows like a standard navel, a rounded, dependable grower for the home orchard. On the relative New Zealand orange scale it is Late. Fruit is best eaten fresh as a dessert orange through summer; keeping quality is moderate. Plant alongside a winter navel and a Valencia type and fresh oranges can be picked across much of the year. Standard citrus care applies: a warm sunny position, fertile free-draining soil, regular water during fruit development, mulch, citrus fertiliser in spring and summer, and frost protection while young in colder districts. Self-fertile.

Valencia

Valencia is the world-famous late juicing orange, sold in NZ by The Plant Company (Orange Valencia) and Palmers Garden Centre (Orange Valencia). The Plant Company describes it as celebrated for sweet juicy flavour and excellent juicing qualities, a staple loved for versatile use and a prolific fruiting season. While the catalog holds NZ Valencia-type selections (Harwood Late, Delta, Midknight), the standard Valencia itself is missing; it is the benchmark late-season orange holding fruit on the tree into summer.

Xian Feng Cheng

Xian Feng Cheng is a hybrid sweet orange valued as a spring-ripening variety for New Zealand gardens, producing medium-sized, round to oval oranges that ripen from September to November. The flesh is sweet and juicy and virtually seedless, and the variety is rated very good both for fresh eating and for juicing, making it a genuinely dual-purpose orange. The tree is a standard rounded grower for the home orchard. On the relative New Zealand orange scale its spring season places it at Mid, alongside other spring navels such as Best's Seedless, rather than with the summer Valencia types. Keeping quality is moderate; enjoy fruit fresh through its spring window. Plant in full sun in fertile, free-draining soil with steady water through establishment and fruiting, mulch well, and feed with citrus fertiliser in spring and summer. Self-fertile. Note that some New Zealand suppliers sell this variety under a non-propagation agreement.