Thursday, February 11, 2010

Now Cut That Out


As I feared, the recent long spell of cold weather tricked some of my low chill blueberry bushes into thinking winter must be over.

"Hey Bluebelle ... BLUEBELLE! Wake up!"

"Huh, What chu want Climax, ... it's only February. Let me sleep."

"No, it can't be ... check your chilling hours... it must be March at least."

" Look Bud, you are starting to tick me off ... I'm not a winter person... wanna sleep."

"Okay, sleep your life away, but I'm telling you, it has to be spring, time to open up those buds, Bud."

" Go right ahead, but wake ME when winter's over."

Unfortunately, I understand Blueberry, but I just can't hold a conversation in it. If I did, I would have agreed with Climax*. Any blooming now risks the entire crop as more freezes (32 this morn) are coming.


The long super cold spell of January even zapped the foliage of natives ... really tough natives, like these coonties in one of my nursery beds.

They should recover as most of the plant is a huge underground tuber, but it certainly sets back their growth and it killed seed cones that were forming.



The horse radish was not bothered by the severe cold and is doing quite nicely.

Almost ready to pick.












*Bluebelle and Climax are two varieties of southern highbush blueberries.

14 comments:

debbie said...

We've had a lot of very cold weather here in the panhandle. I know that I've lost a lot of my plants. The last time we had a winter like this it took 6 months for some of the plants to show signs of life again. The weather people are calling for "non-liquid precipitation" tomorrow.

h said...

Is that really horseradish as in:

(Armoracia rusticana, syn. Cochlearia armoracia)?

If so, what are you going to do with it?

Miz S said...

Uh-oh. I hope you don't lose that crop of blueberries. I know how much you enjoy them. This really has been a long cold winter for you guys, hasn't it?

Dani said...

Yeah, what the hell happened to our nice winter weather?!

roger said...

nice horeseradish.

robin andrea said...

I like the horseradish too.

Pablo said...

*groan* Even visual puns!

jean said...

Snort. Horse radish. You're killing me.

MamaHen said...

Oooooh, that one hurt a little..;D

who wouda thunk it?? said...

what RU smokin up there?? you could have fooled me if you had painted the horse.
(you know.... kind of..... reddish)

Cathy S. said...

Now that is a kind of horseradish I could love.

Deb said...

Our blueberries know enough to wait until June to flower.

lisa said...

That bluebelle is soo pretty!

R.Powers said...

Debbie,
Pretty liquid here right now... and cold! I think my plants survived, but they are hurtn.

Troll,
Alas, I was just being silly. Not much of a horseradish fan.

Miz S,
Can't compare to YOUR winter! WOW!


Dani,
Don't worry, we'll have that to fuss about soon enuf!!


roger,
i have an equine thumb.



Robin,
They seem horsier this year.

Pablo,
Well ... coming from the plastic lizard guy of the midwest, I take that as a compliment.


Jean,
What? You don't grow horseradish up there?


Annie,
Like a horse just kicked ya?


Who Wudda,
Paint that ancient horse toy? I've had that since I was a wee bit of a boy. Good idea tho.


Cathy S,
Not rideable tho.

Deb,
Oh my, by then mine are almost done giving me BB's.

Lisa,
Aren't they the neatest blossom shape?