The caterpillar plague of spring/summer 2012 brought many of the creepy crawlies to the blueberry bushes and they ate up so many of the leaves and left some of them half-chomped so the bushes looked terrible earlier in the season but just like the alder trees, they grew some new leaves and for some miraculous reason the flowers were pollinated and the fruit didn't drop. The bushes still look a bit ragged tho'....but next year!....I declare they will be productive AND beautiful!
Blueberries like acidic soil so they grow well here with all the fir and cedar trees surrounding them. I grow mine in two spots in the garden that have some standing water in the winter and these spots stay quite moist in the summer too. The bushes don't like to get too dry and I don't want to have to water them. A mix of bark mulch and straw helps to keep the soil moist. I planted three different varieties to help with pollination and also to prolong the harvest. I have 12 bushes growing in 2 circles about 8-9 feet across....5 around the outside of the circle and 1 in the middle. I don't grow these for market, just for us. In the fall, the leaves turn a beautiful red colour....one of the few leafy things that I can get to turn red around here in the fall!
I like to use sprigs of the green and ripening blueberries in flower arrangements too, especially for wedding reception table centerpieces...they look lovely with flowers and garden greenery.
One of the best simple pleasures of my early summer mornings is to pick some berries first thing for my breakfast cereal.
....or just eat 'em up while I pick, mixed with other berries that I can forage from the garden....so sweet in so many ways!
....or just eat 'em up while I pick, mixed with other berries that I can forage from the garden....so sweet in so many ways!
Me and my shadow self enjoying a handful of just-picked berries in the warm morning sunshine : ) joy!
Strawberries and blueberries at the same time .. Riches! Love the blog, love the photos =) Lisa - again!
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