Vaccinium corymbosum.
Dear List, 22 Oct. 1999
My own garden is part desert, part Mediterranean, part urban
woodland with two very "med" patios. I use my largest parking
strip--126'x4' as a blueberry farm and am currently growing
more than 30 named varieties.
We do not get either the requisite cold or heat recommended by
the great experts but all our plants bloom and fruit and we pick
berries from June to September, some as big as quarters.
The soil has been acidified for dwarf rhododendrons and we hit
the blueberries a few times each year with Miracid. We are also
big black tea drinkers and each plant gets cold tea and spent tea
leaves fairly regularly.
They are well watered, even more so than the woodland and we
are about to start a regime of small amounts of Osmocote with
trace elements for the vacciniums and some of our species rhodies.
Blueberry foliage is luminous in autumn-red, orange, dark purple
yellow and splashed that one would grow them for their ornamental
qualities even without the bonus of fruit. After leaf fall the
branches are yellow or coral or red or chartreuse--all with dayglo
intensity. The pieris like flowers in early winter range
from hot pink to pure white. Though self fertile growing
several clones ensures the heaviest fruiting.
Ignore the experts, ignore Sunset and try them all. They are a
wonderful part of a garden.
Michael D. Barclay
Michael D. Barclay, Really Special Plants & Gardens, Kensington, CA
Cal Hort Council
opga@wenet.net Growing 2,000 species fifteen miles from the Golden Gate!
