That's right, mine bloomed first.
I was pretty stoked to find my blueberry bushes beginning to bloom. It looks like they may have started about two days ago, but I was too busy to get out there in the "garden". My blueberries are a melange of varieties ... tiffblue, climax, beckblue, ... all rabbiteye southern types who grow taller than you can reach.
Last year was a small crop, so this year I'm expecting big things. My great expectations could be dashed by a hard late freeze, but March 15th is our average last freeze time, so the chances of success are looking pretty good.
Only a few of my bushes are actually blooming. They are all on their own internal clock and some varieties are early while others take their time. That allows for a nice staggered crop that ripens sequentially so that usually, I can eat backyard blueberries from May to July.
Blueberries seem to be almost carefree, like our muscadine grapes. No need to spray bug dope on them or stress over fungal diseases. Just give them some acid fertilizer and decent waterings and they will reward you and the cardinals with amazing production.
For you spring watchers, other things blooming around here include dogwoods, jessamine, sparkleberry, hogplum, and black cherry. The redbuds bloomed weeks ago. The day is 72 F, clear and blue right now, but the forecast calls for grey rainy weather to come in.
How did the weather guys know I was planning a topless JEEP weekend?
14 comments:
That picture, to me, is beautiful.
As a kid, I loved picking and eating blueberries and huckleberries. Before we had a freezer, my mother canned them (as well as other fruits and vegetables) during season.
Looks like good timing for berries. Maybe you've had the last hard freeze for the winter.
I've been watching things begin to grow and set buds here in St. Petersburg; when I was back in chicago they were still under a foot of hard packed dirty snow with no signs of swelling buds.
My mom used to pick northern highbush blueberries and thimbleberries up in the tip of the U.P. of Michigan. They both grew wild and she made many jars of jelly and jam each year. Thimbleberries are unique to the area so she sold a lot of that to tourists through a local shop in Copper Harbor.
Will you make jelly? Blue stuff dripping everywhere. :-)
Nice blueberry bloom. Wonderful bee too!
We just had some blueberry pancakes this morning, made with berries we picked and froze last summer. Yum. We have one little blueberry bush we brought with us from California in a pot. It's been struggling, and the birds get the few berries it produces. I think we'll take it out of the pot this year and plant it. Maybe that will make it happier.
How did the dance go yesterday?
were having a early and beatiful spring.We have a robin that has taken to my back yard feeder and bath.he just acts like he might stay when the rest go north.also saw an american goldfinch today, the birds are enjoing the food and i am enjoying watching them
Betsy,
Thank you. It was a bit of serendipity.
Aikane,
I'm in no hurry to see heat and humidity, but maybe no more hard freezes would be a good thing.
Vicki,
These tend to go into cereal by the handfull, pancakes, and cobbler.
Robin,
He is a wonderful bee and I thank him for his pollinating professionalism... profusely.
The dance went well believe it or not. The kids roared and when it was over I got lots of positive feedback ... I count gentle ribbing as positive feedback.
Rick,
The robins are thick in my woods today. I think it may be a wave heading north.
Wow- blueberries blooming already? I have five bushes, planted last year and the year before, but they generally don't grow higher than my knees.
Deb,
These rascals get really tall. I figure the top berries belong to the cardinals.
That is a truly spectacular, magazine quality photo. Congratulations on it and your blueberries
Thanks ThreeCollie,
This could be payback for those beehouses I made last fall.
BEE-yootiful! AbFab shot there! We actually found some blueberry blossoms out back on January 26, but I haven't checked on them since. I need to keep closer tabs on those this year. Time the critters shared a few. 8-]
Sophie,
Looks like a good year for hogplums too. Clouds of white everywhere.
I'm looking forward to seeing the bees get busy (and buzzy) again. You have NJ beat by two months for last frost date - lucky devil!
Laurahinnj,
brrrrrr.
We'll be complaining about the heat and humidity by then.
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