I want to know what experience people have had with planting in the ground in zone 8b desert areas or if you know what I can plant. There is a plant nursery down the street that has a huge naval orange in their unheated green house. There is also talk of a Meyer lemon unattended on the side of an apartment building 15 min from here. Same usda zone but their temps are about 2-3 degrees warm. Same place my friend has her 10 yr old Meyer and bearss lime in pots that she covers with plastic in the winter on her front porch and this was the first year that either of them have lost any leaves. What citrus can I plant and keep alive with covering with blankets and plastic. Or I have thought about making a mini green house to go over The tree that will cover the top sides and front because the tree will up against the house next to our gas fireplace vent on the southeast side of the house. I don’t want the cost of a space heater. Also how old should the tree be when I plant it? I have been thinking of a Washington navel, limequat, Meyer lemon, bearss lime (less cold hardy) , kumquat, clementine , satsuma mandarine and oro blanco (also less cold hardy).