Blueberry Bushes and Spring
Apr. 2nd, 2006 08:35 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
greenstormSo I'm trying to convince Juggler to put in an edible hedge. He's gonna put in a hedge anyhow, so it may as well be something nice, right?
Luckily, around my community garden, there's an edible native Canadian plant garden (aka 'ethnobotanical garden') which showcases some choice species. I strolled out there today with Juggler. In the running are:
amelanchier (aka 'Saskatoon berry' or 'Juneberry' or 'Serviceberry') which has gorgeous flowers in springtime, and is in the rosa family with things like plum and cherry (to give you an idea of the flowers). These plants tend to have more genetic diversity than blueberries, which means the plants won't be as standardised in size, ripening time, or disease susceptibility. Birds would love these for many reasons, they're more 'native.'
Blueberries, which are deciduous like amelanchier, have less showy flowers, but are more delicate in size and appearance. They also have more conventional and less seedy fruit, and could be planted for a deliberate long harvest season-- for instance, plant early varieties in one section of hedge, midseason in the next, and late in the next, so over the course of a few months the hedge would ripen from one end to the other. There are mini blueberry bushes that could be quite small, and some very large one. I'm not sure how well they'd take to pruning; it depends on when the flower buds form and on what type of growth (I suspect they flower on new growth, which would reduce yield substantially in the next year if they're pruned for shape. On the other hand, something is better than nothing). Blueberries are related to azaleas and rhododendrons, which thrive here, and they'd likely adore the spot (which gets very light shade).
vaccinium ovatum is a close relative of blueberry, also known as 'evergreen huckleberry'. It's an evergreen plant with black, slightly tart berries that, my research tells me, can be sheared into a hedge if that's done around June (this suggests that blueberries can be sheared right after picking, too). There's a local variety developed at the local university, which is kind of neat.
So, yeah. Do edible hedges, people.
More garden notes follow:
Someone kindly put some compost on my plot last fall. I realise that my community garden is close enough that I can go cut some lemon balm for tea in my slippers if I want to. This is cool for many reasons, including: I can get lemon balm for tea in my slippers, I can take compost to the community garden compost bin and put it in, thus wasting less garbage space, and I have a patch of dirst that I can walk to easily to play in. I'm happy.
My roses there are doing well, and the damson plum is budding. On the deck, one plum is in full bloom, the other looks like it's leafing rather than blooming this year. The roses have an inch or two of growth on them thus far, and the muscari and violets are blooming their fool heads off. Even the fig buds are looking suspiciously awake. My Japanese maples are are at their best, little tiny delicate leaves unfurling.
Even Juggler, who rarely comments on aesthetics, looked up at the cherry blossom/magnolia combination along fifth street coming back from the garden and said, 'that's really amazing'. I'm happy. It's good. I should get some food in the ground in my community garden and get it growing. But, what to plant?
MAybe I do like spring after all.
Luckily, around my community garden, there's an edible native Canadian plant garden (aka 'ethnobotanical garden') which showcases some choice species. I strolled out there today with Juggler. In the running are:
amelanchier (aka 'Saskatoon berry' or 'Juneberry' or 'Serviceberry') which has gorgeous flowers in springtime, and is in the rosa family with things like plum and cherry (to give you an idea of the flowers). These plants tend to have more genetic diversity than blueberries, which means the plants won't be as standardised in size, ripening time, or disease susceptibility. Birds would love these for many reasons, they're more 'native.'
Blueberries, which are deciduous like amelanchier, have less showy flowers, but are more delicate in size and appearance. They also have more conventional and less seedy fruit, and could be planted for a deliberate long harvest season-- for instance, plant early varieties in one section of hedge, midseason in the next, and late in the next, so over the course of a few months the hedge would ripen from one end to the other. There are mini blueberry bushes that could be quite small, and some very large one. I'm not sure how well they'd take to pruning; it depends on when the flower buds form and on what type of growth (I suspect they flower on new growth, which would reduce yield substantially in the next year if they're pruned for shape. On the other hand, something is better than nothing). Blueberries are related to azaleas and rhododendrons, which thrive here, and they'd likely adore the spot (which gets very light shade).
vaccinium ovatum is a close relative of blueberry, also known as 'evergreen huckleberry'. It's an evergreen plant with black, slightly tart berries that, my research tells me, can be sheared into a hedge if that's done around June (this suggests that blueberries can be sheared right after picking, too). There's a local variety developed at the local university, which is kind of neat.
So, yeah. Do edible hedges, people.
More garden notes follow:
Someone kindly put some compost on my plot last fall. I realise that my community garden is close enough that I can go cut some lemon balm for tea in my slippers if I want to. This is cool for many reasons, including: I can get lemon balm for tea in my slippers, I can take compost to the community garden compost bin and put it in, thus wasting less garbage space, and I have a patch of dirst that I can walk to easily to play in. I'm happy.
My roses there are doing well, and the damson plum is budding. On the deck, one plum is in full bloom, the other looks like it's leafing rather than blooming this year. The roses have an inch or two of growth on them thus far, and the muscari and violets are blooming their fool heads off. Even the fig buds are looking suspiciously awake. My Japanese maples are are at their best, little tiny delicate leaves unfurling.
Even Juggler, who rarely comments on aesthetics, looked up at the cherry blossom/magnolia combination along fifth street coming back from the garden and said, 'that's really amazing'. I'm happy. It's good. I should get some food in the ground in my community garden and get it growing. But, what to plant?
MAybe I do like spring after all.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-04-03 06:27 am (UTC)I have my "Sympathy for Lady Vengance" eyeshadow now. woot.
Plant raspberries, and I will love you 4EVAR (which is different in the way I love you now, it involves more annoying stuff)
no subject
Date: 2006-04-03 03:54 pm (UTC)The evening habit of checking on garden/taking out compost is nice.