Sunday, May 3, 2009

Very Berry

is what we are at Bliss. We're also berry busy, which explains why I haven't been blogging at all lately.
The Bliss potager is a frightfully berry affair at the mo with ever-bearing strawberries and
woodland strawberries that I've sown myself.
It always amazes me that from a humble packet of seeds can spring such bounty.
Woodland strawberries are my favourite strawberries as they are the strawberry-ist of all strawberries, and they are more or less evergreen too, always a bonus. The fruit may be small but the taste is great!
We also have blueberries this year, a first! I grow them in big pots as the soil (heavy clay) is not acid enough for them.
Another berry that's looking quite promising is the gooseberry; in the potager are 2 varieties, the red one and the green/yellow one.
There are 4 standard gooseberries (you can see some in the berry first pic), 2 red, 2 green and all 4 have branches groaning with the load they are carrying. That crop is going to be turned into a lot of gooseberries pies!
And we have these too, they are called berries in Dutch, but for some bizarre reason they are called currants in the English language. These are the white berries (white currants) although the red ones are more common and I grow them as standards too. That way they don't take up much space and the berries are easier to pick as well.
Another berry growing in the potager is the Japanese wineberry (Rubus phoenicolasius). I like the red stems (very prickly), and the very light green leaves. The fruits are not that big but they taste lovely. The wineberry is related to the raspberry and yes,
I have raspberries (Rubus idaeus) too, a whole arch full and they are about to flower as you can see (pic below). Both the wineberry and the raspberry are related to the black berry (Rubus fruticosus), another berry that is grown at Bliss.


In other fruit today:

The apples are coming along nicely as they've finished flowering and are setting fruit.
Recently I bought a small crab apple for the new extension to my potager ( I did mention I've been berry busy, haven't I?),
its flowers are lovely and later in the year it will brighten up autumn and winter with pretty little red fruits.
My pear tree is doing great too; it had lots of blossom,
and now it's setting fruit, and it's going pear shaped.
The grape in my Victorian greenhouse is about to burst into song, er flower soon I'm happy to say.The outside grapes are not there yet, they've just formed their first few leaves.
It is possible that you, gentle reader, do not care a fig for berries and other fruits but I most certainly do.
See?

copyright 2009 Y.E.W. Heuzen

Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.
Groucho Marx

33 comments:

Lisa at Greenbow said...

This is a berry wonderful post YE. Seeing the gooseberries always reminds me of my Mother's garden. I loved eating those gooseberry pies. Yummmm Around here you don't see gooseberries very often.

Carol Michel said...

I am berry impressed by all the different kinds of berries you are growing in your potager. You eat quite well there at Bliss!

Hannele på Hisingen said...

Very early...

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

Hi Yolanda, I love all your berries and am also amazed what large things can grow from one tiny seed, sometimes in only one season! I never thought about it before, but currant is a weird word, when English uses "berry" for other berries. In German, too, currant is a berry, Johannisbeere. Isn't language fun? :)

Chookie said...

I feel hungry...

Katarina said...

So many goodies for you to feast on eventually! Wish i had them all...
Katarina

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Frances said...

Hi YE, you have certainly been busy! I am so impressed with the wild strawberries from seed. That will most certainly go on the seed list for next year. Everything looks lush and healthy. We look forward to seeing the new improved potager, too. It already seemed perfect. :-)
Frances

Arabella Sock said...

Well thank goodness for that.. first you post Time to Say Goodbye then you clear off for weeks.... I was quite worried!!

vuejardin said...

You have lots of berries, I like your dwarf apple tree (wish I can have one too) and beautiful arch, it's a great addition to the garden.

Flighty said...

It's been a wonderful year for blossom, which should mean a great year for fruit as well! It certainly looks like it will be.
Happy gardening! xx

Connie said...

Wow, what a wonderful assortment of berries. Yummy...and they are so healthy, too!

HappyMouffetard said...

Berrylicious!

stadtgarten said...

I love woodland strawberries - and, as our lawn is no "english lawn" we do have a lot of them instead of grass!
Groetjes, Monika

Juliet said...

Yummy! Would you like a visitor to help you eat that lot? ;)

Phoenix C. said...

This all looks so wholesome! I love the Groucho quote too!

Gail said...

I was wondering what you were up to! Glad it's been berry interesting and keeping you berry busy...the berries and other fruit look fantastic and have my mouth watering....I am afraid it's just grocery store strawberries in the frig! gail

em said...

i was going to say, berry good post, but Lisa, the berry first poster, beat me to it! yummy post!

Glo said...

The anticipation of succulence! Sun warmed berries taste divine ~ even the the tart ones! Looking forward to seeing brimming baskets of berries :)

Cat with a Garden said...

Yolanda, your Potager is most inspiring. One day when I may have a real garden I will certainly grow a lot of berries, other fruits and veggies too. I have the fondest memories of woodland strawberries!

James A-S said...

You get extra marks for flagrant overuse of a single pun in one post !

Naturegirl said...

Truly the berriest post and garden that I've seen ever! I am really impressed also Yolanda by your seed packet bearing ALL that fruit!!Your thumb is the greenest!Your cats are the purrr-diest! Your garden certainly Bliss! NIce visiting here after a bit of a break!
My girsls have just returned home from AZ..soon I'll feature them.
Enjoy all that berry bounty!

Cheryl said...

A berry wonderful post Yolande.....

I love berries.....especially blueberries and gooseberries......but then I like strawberries to and raspberries.....
In fact I am a berry person to!

Libby said...

I adore raspberries and when I very first started the veg plot I dod have raspberry canes planted but they kept popping up everywhere. Now if I could find some that grow nice and tall over an arch like yours I would be well pleased!!!

Antigonum Cajan said...

Yolanda Elizabeth, what a strange
combination of nominatives.
As rare as EDWIN, how many people
with such name are there? From which
island?

On the other hand your blog is
superb!

Piondröm said...

Hi Yolanda,
It seems to bee a good year for all berrys.
I love eating berrys exept gooseberrys.
It was gooseberrys that made me allergic to all fruits when I was 8 years old.
Now when I`m groown up I can only eat citrus and bananas....sad.
Ken

Matron said...

I think it is going to be a bumper year for soft fruit this year! The cold Winter has formed many more fruit buds, everything seems just laden with blossom at the moment!

marga said...

Wat ziet het er weer mooi uit in je tuin, alles doet het even goed......dit is toch genieten hé. Jou kruisbessen hebben zelfs al een beetje rood aan........hier zijn ze nog steeds groen!!!! En wat is Tara al weer gegroeid, vind het toch zo'n dotje!!!!
groetjes marga

Dee/reddirtramblings said...

Yummy! I want to come to your house. Why are those called currants anyway? I have no idea, but I do know I like 'em. I love how this post is about berries and edible goodness from your garden plot.~~Dee

Kat Wolfdancer said...

It seems to be a berry fruitful, Blissful day! I am jealous! Well, not really, as the fruits of my labours will come when they may, at their own good time... LOVE your pictures! My apple trees are full of blooms as well, along with the blueberries and the pears, and the peaches. The plums all went and bloomed, and I will not get any Shiros again THIS year, since I couldn't get the Santa Rosa pollenator planted in time. BUT! Fear Not! Gentle Gardener! Next year, I have high hopes! Just like that ant!

Happy Gardening! Great to see your Blissful garden!

>^,,^<

Unknown said...

I've been so consumed with my flowers I've forgotten all about taken pictures of my baby fruits and berries.

Thanks for the inspiration.

My English Country Garden said...

My goodness...your countryside looks exactly like my home area in England-the drains ,the village views: but then the Dutch did drain it in the 17th century :-) I wish we grew tulips still in the fields( all that has stopped save for a few fields every year. Lovely pictures of the Queen Anne's Lace. Beautiful.

Barbara E said...

I couldn't agree more about woodland strawberries. I spent several hours photographing a pot of these (Fragaria vesca ssp. californica) here in So. California. Finally I gave in and ate some, though I saved the biggest one for my husband.