Wednesday, March 23, 2005
Catching up with plantings...
It has been two weeks since I updated this blog. Things are coming along. For one, Ryan, my grandson came over and spent a day helping with the brute work in the yard. Chopping up branches, moving mulch, digging and planting bulbs. Nice to have a hand and he really helped. We got the glads planted under the trees and the lilies planted along the fence on the north side of the lot. The lilies are mulched.
A couple of days ago, I moved the last of the Eunomymous manhattans from the south fence so I could plant the blueberries that have arrived in the mail. While Ryan worked at planting bulbs and spreading mulch, I tilled the blueberry patch tilling in a lot of mulch to make is a better planting area for the acid loving blueberries.
Then I measured out the 10 holes for planting and got the plants out to plant. There were only eight. That is all I ordered, but in my mind I had planned on 10. Ten it is. I went to the nursury and got two more. So now we have 10 blueberries planted, 3 Jersey, 3 Coville, 2 Blueray, one Powderblue, and one Tifblue. Should be interesting. These are all 3-year old plants, so they have a little way to go before they produce much. The Tifblue, however is covered with blossems and is only 1 foot high. Here is what this area looks like with all ten small plants.
Tifblue is very popular both comercially and for home gardens. It grows 15 feet high at maturity. It is supposed to bear the first year. Looks like it will.
Powderblue is native to the southeast. Should grow well here. We are in zone 7. It is a late ripening rabbiteye blueberry. The fruit are medium sized, should be easy to pick and they say this plant is resistent to Autumn rains. The Tifblue and Powderblue are both rabbiteye varieties so they will pollinate properly.
Jersey is a tall and quite erect grower that produces large, light blue berries with a delicate flavor. Excellent for planting as a decorative shrub that gives you berries as a bonus. Fruit ripens from midseason to late. Individual blueberry varieties are self-infertile so we have planted these with other varieties.
Blueray is a mid-season variety that forms small tight clusters of large high quailty, powder-blue fruits of truly delicious flavor. Grows a vigorous bush 4 to 6 feet tall. Burgundy fall color.
Coville is a late season variety which has very large firm berries. The berries have a slightly tart taste which makes them and excellent desert berry. Extra time should be given to allow the berries to completely ripen. The open and upright bush will exhibit lovely burgundy leaves in the fall. According to the web, blueberries are acidic soil lovers, so I should add peat moss to the soil.
I finished adding the stones to the entrance to the shed. I set them into the mud without borders or sand underlayer, then put small pebbles between the stones. One is wobbley, but it will set into the ground if I keep stomping on it. I addes a sack of potting soil to the matrix and picked up 6 thyme plants to put into the spaces. should smell good when they get walked on.
I found a Hollywood Juniper at Home Depot. Nice one. It goes on the south side of the shed. Still have to plant it in the ground.
Oscilli Circle had a dogwood sale recently. Ann Durall told me about it to post it on the Hickory Woods web site. I posted it and bought three more dogwoods. Two pink dogwoods that are planted in the front yard to add spring color, and the Kausa dogwood for the backyard. The dogwoods are all sprouting new leaves now. Looking forward to next spring when we will get some blooms.
A couple of days ago, I moved the last of the Eunomymous manhattans from the south fence so I could plant the blueberries that have arrived in the mail. While Ryan worked at planting bulbs and spreading mulch, I tilled the blueberry patch tilling in a lot of mulch to make is a better planting area for the acid loving blueberries.
Then I measured out the 10 holes for planting and got the plants out to plant. There were only eight. That is all I ordered, but in my mind I had planned on 10. Ten it is. I went to the nursury and got two more. So now we have 10 blueberries planted, 3 Jersey, 3 Coville, 2 Blueray, one Powderblue, and one Tifblue. Should be interesting. These are all 3-year old plants, so they have a little way to go before they produce much. The Tifblue, however is covered with blossems and is only 1 foot high. Here is what this area looks like with all ten small plants.Tifblue is very popular both comercially and for home gardens. It grows 15 feet high at maturity. It is supposed to bear the first year. Looks like it will.
Powderblue is native to the southeast. Should grow well here. We are in zone 7. It is a late ripening rabbiteye blueberry. The fruit are medium sized, should be easy to pick and they say this plant is resistent to Autumn rains. The Tifblue and Powderblue are both rabbiteye varieties so they will pollinate properly.
Jersey is a tall and quite erect grower that produces large, light blue berries with a delicate flavor. Excellent for planting as a decorative shrub that gives you berries as a bonus. Fruit ripens from midseason to late. Individual blueberry varieties are self-infertile so we have planted these with other varieties.
Blueray is a mid-season variety that forms small tight clusters of large high quailty, powder-blue fruits of truly delicious flavor. Grows a vigorous bush 4 to 6 feet tall. Burgundy fall color.
Coville is a late season variety which has very large firm berries. The berries have a slightly tart taste which makes them and excellent desert berry. Extra time should be given to allow the berries to completely ripen. The open and upright bush will exhibit lovely burgundy leaves in the fall. According to the web, blueberries are acidic soil lovers, so I should add peat moss to the soil.
I finished adding the stones to the entrance to the shed. I set them into the mud without borders or sand underlayer, then put small pebbles between the stones. One is wobbley, but it will set into the ground if I keep stomping on it. I addes a sack of potting soil to the matrix and picked up 6 thyme plants to put into the spaces. should smell good when they get walked on.
I found a Hollywood Juniper at Home Depot. Nice one. It goes on the south side of the shed. Still have to plant it in the ground.
Oscilli Circle had a dogwood sale recently. Ann Durall told me about it to post it on the Hickory Woods web site. I posted it and bought three more dogwoods. Two pink dogwoods that are planted in the front yard to add spring color, and the Kausa dogwood for the backyard. The dogwoods are all sprouting new leaves now. Looking forward to next spring when we will get some blooms.
