Hopefully the severe pruning I gave them last year won't have done them any harm - in fact it may have re-invigorated them.
In common with many fruits, blueberries produce flowers at the same time as new leaves. So we have these at the same time:
Flowers
And new leaves:
The smallest of my 5 Blueberry plants was only acquired last year. Its new leaves are green, whereas the others have red ones which only turn green later. (And of course back to red in the Autumn!). I wonder if this means that is a different type to all the others?
I strongly recommend Blueberries for someone who is new to fruit-growing. They grow quite happily in pots (though they like acid soil, so it's best to use Ericaceous compost), and produce a decent amount of fruit whilst requiring very little maintenance - except that they are loved by most children and all birds, so require a bit of protection when their fruit is in the final stages of ripeness. Actually I reckon that my local Blackbirds have developed an addiction to slightly-underripe Blueberries. They know that humans like the berries fully ripe, so they steal them a few days beforehand. This year I intend to be ready with my precautions well in advance.
That reminds me to say: I have a pair of Blackbirds nesting in my hedge at present. My neighbour's cat has already staked-out the site, and will no doubt be trying to grab some of the baby birds when they fledge. I must confess to having a degree of sympathy with the cat, because I have a love-hate relationship with Blackbirds. I love the sound of their song on a Summer's evening, but I hate the way they scratch so enthusiastically in the compost in which my little plants live. I also hate their persistent "Cat! Cat! Cat!" alarm call, especially at 5.00 a.m...
By the way, I have deliberately been posting more frequently these last few days. I just have so much I want to photograph and write about, because for me it is a really interesting time of year in the garden.
Blueberry flowers are beautiful close up aren't they - mine aren't quite there yet. Just done the first tomato potting on too. I always find this time of year a little worrying re frosts - but so far so good.
ReplyDeletePoor blackbirds - I just love them in spite of their bad habits just as I'm sure Jane overlooks yours!
ReplyDeleteI wish I had made a note of which varieties of blueberry we have but I planted them in pre-note taking days! Just know they are supposed to produce at slightly different times.
No flowers on my blueberries yet, you're ahead of me, yet again. We had blackbirds nesting in the hedge a couple of years ago, but they haven't been back since. I loved watching them in and out, feeding their babies all day.
ReplyDeleteMy blueberries are in bud right now, but their flowers haven't opened nor do they have any leaves. It looks like there will be a lot of flowers though.
ReplyDeleteI bought a job lot of 5 different blueberry bushes last year and parked them in a large pot to overwinter.I've now planted 3 in the allotment and will have the other 2 in my garden in pots.Hope they look as good as yours when they grow.
ReplyDeleteWhat size pots do you suggest Mark ,and what's the PH of your soil ?
Cheers
David
David, my Blueberries are in 10-inch and 12-inch pots, and seem quite happy. I used ericaceous compost for them because they like acid soil. To be honest, I haven't tested the PH of my soil!
DeleteYou just keep posting my friend. Your pictures are always wonderful and I love getting tips from your posts. Thank you.
ReplyDelete