Blueberries are easy to grow!

We planted blueberry bushes in 1983 as a present to my father-in-law for Father’s Day. It is hard to think of any plant that has consistently given us so much pleasure over the years as these blueberry bushes. And for so little care! Jack is no longer with us, but the blueberry bushes continue to delight.

Now they are 7-8 feet tall and 4-5 feet wide. In early June, they are covered with green berries that gradually turn blue as they ripen. Bring on the blueberry cobbler and fresh blueberries over vanilla ice cream.

Blueberries are easy to grow. Plant them in loose, well-drained soil in full sun to light shade. Ours are planted in a large bed that they share with tall pines which provide a nice dappled shade. They do not like wet, mucky spots and will not thrive in heavy clay soils. Blueberry bushes do well in our naturally acidic soil. Blueberries like the same kind of soil as azaleas; if azaleas do well in your yard, chances are blueberries will too, providing you have enough sun. Plant them at least six feet apart unless you are trying to create an informal hedge.

Plant at least two different varieties as they need to be cross pollinated to provide lots of fruit. Blueberries are pollinated primarily by the Southeastern blueberry bee, which looks like a small bumble bee. In addition to the hybrid rabbiteye blueberries that produce large tasty fruits, we also planted native highbush blueberries. The berries are darker and smaller, but also very tasty.

We fertilized ours yearly with an organic azalea-camellia fertilizer when they were young but now that they are mature and in large beds with natural mulch that slowly breaks down and provides nutrition, they don’t seem to need any fertilizer.

My mother-in-law, Sue Walthall, always reminded her grandchildren to get out early to “beat the birds” to the ripe berries. Of course, it’s always cooler in the morning for picking! I have such pleasant memories of picking blueberries with her and our children over the years. One child always took pride in filling up the bucket as fast as possible and the other always had a very blue mouth attesting to the fact that she ate as many as she picked.

For efficient picking, Betty Komarek from Birdsong Nature Center taught me long ago to cut open a plastic milk jug and attach it to my belt. This frees both hands for picking and you don’t have to bend over to reach the bucket.

Water, especially in the early years, is critical. Blueberry bushes produce berries while they are young, but you will not get a big crop for several years. My advice is always the same to anyone who is interested in producing fruit – get started as soon as possible and be patient! And don’t forget to water!

Jody’s Best Blueberry Cobbler:

Heat oven to 400
6 cups blueberries
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 cups Heart Smart Bisquick baking mix
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
3 T. melted butter

Combine blueberries, sugar and cinnamon. Pour into 9X13 baking dish, well greased. Mix remaining ingredients until blended and drop by spoonfuls onto fruit. Bake 15 minutes at 400; reduce heat to 350 and bake 10 minutes longer. Top each serving with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Create a Secret Garden using Woodland Wildflowers

I have always loved secret gardens. There is something enchanting about passing through an archway or space between two shrubs into a little clearing surrounded by wild violets, deep green ferns and fragrant wild azaleas. Picture yourself entirely surrounded by evergreen shrubs, blue sky above, sitting in a comfy chair invisible to the rest of the world.

We have been working on a secret garden at Native Nurseries for several years. The major backdrop is formed by some large mountain laurels that were planted in the early 1980s. When we started the garden a few years ago, we had to plant 3 more mountain laurels and a Florida anise to make the rest of the backdrop and they have not filled in yet; this is a work in progress. There is also a magnolia and agarista that help form the secret garden as well as a homemade cedar/bamboo fence along one side.

We created a short path and small stone patio on which sit two chairs and a low table. We added wild azaleas, native ferns, lots of Indian pinks, wild phlox, bloodroot, Jack-in-the-pulpit and other woodland wildflowers. This is a quiet retreat where my husband Jody eats lunch on a busy Saturday. Once I noticed that one of the chairs was missing from the secret garden and I soon found the chair along with Jody deep inside one of the big mountain laurels which enveloped an excellent hiding place. He was reading his book in peace.

You don’t need to have a secret garden to enjoy a wildflower garden. To start your own woodland wildflower garden, select a shady spot in your yard. Dig into the soil. Is it well- drained? Is it easy to dig down? If not, you may need to add organic matter to the area. If the shade is high (large pines or hardwoods), you may want to plant a native shrub or small tree. A wild azalea, Florida anise or Ashe magnolia would make a nice centerpiece. Then plant a variety of woodland wildflowers around it.

One of the shady islands in our parking lot is fun to watch throughout the seasons. It is anchored by an Ashe magnolia tree which sports huge leaves and equally huge white flowers with purple markings in April. The wildflower parade begins in late winter.

First up are the mottled green leaves and deep maroon flowers of trillium and the dainty white flowers of bloodroot. Wild violets are blooming at the same time, as are the bright yellow trout lilies. Soon to follow are the green hooded flowers of Jack-in-the-pulpit. Woodland phlox is just beginning to bloom; by March its purple masses will be very showy. About the same time, the red and yellow bells of wild columbine will appear over taller fern-like foliage, attracting the first of the ruby-throated hummingbirds to return this spring. By May, Indian pink is in full bloom, its red tubular blossoms also attractive to hummingbirds.

Bloodroot

Wild Columbine 

Rue Anemone

Woodland Phlox

Do not mulch the garden except with the leaves that naturally fall there. This will enable the wildflowers to spread by seed over time. If they are happy, they will spread! Set up a chair or bench nearby to enjoy your tranquil garden.

Rain Gardens

It seems a good time to discuss rain gardens since we have had our share of rain this year. A rain garden is simply a shallow depression positioned in your yard to collect rain water that runs off your roof, driveway or patio. The water flows in and is absorbed slowly by the plants in the garden and through the soil as well.

A rain garden is one way of slowing the flow of rain water run-off. Other ways include planting groundcovers such as liriope or ferns on shady slopes and using mulch (leaves, pine straw or wood chips) on exposed soil and terracing steep slopes. You can also build gentle berms to direct run-off away from your house and towards your rain garden.

There are several good choices of plants to include in a rain garden. Choose plants that can take standing water for a few days and that can also live in average garden soil because, most of the time, the rain garden will not have water in it. If the rain garden is in the sun, you can grow native blue flag iris, Louisiana iris and the native wildflower red swamp mallow. Another wildflower for consideration is blue-eyed grass, which is evergreen with dainty blue flowers every spring. Black-eyed Susan is often used as well.

If you prefer to have a tree in your rain garden, river birch or bald cypress are good choices. Observe plants that grow in river flood plains or in cypress domes. These plants are adapted to periodic flooding and periodic dry times.

If you prefer shrubs, consider buttonbush which will get large and has showy white spherical blossoms that butterflies adore. A more compact and evergreen shrub with white winter flowers is the compact form of Walter’s viburnum, known as ‘Best Densa’ or ‘Whorled Class’ Viburnum.

If your rain garden is in the shade, Virginia sweetspire is a wonderful choice. It has white flowers that attract butterflies in spring and bright red/maroon leaves in autumn. It spreads by underground runners so you will eventually have more than one in your rain garden. Bluestem palmetto is another interesting plant for a shady rain garden. It has white flowers in spring and lots of berries for birds in fall. I also love spider lily, a native Hymenocallis. Senecio is another native wildflower that is evergreen and sports showy yellow flowers in springtime.

Some of the native grasses and rushes work nicely in rain gardens. Plant Fakahatchee grass in sun or shade, river oats with its gracefully arching sea oats-like seed stalks in the shade and soft rush in sunny gardens. All three have interesting textures, but be careful with the river oats. It will spread readily by seed and become a mass planting.

For more information, pick up from area nurseries the brochure, Rain Gardens: A How toManual for Homeowners which is produced by the TAPP Campaign (Think About Personal Pollution) of the City of Tallahassee’s Stormwater Management Department. See their website at www.TAPPwater.org.