I thought I would introduce you to my Head Gardener, Joey. It's his birthday today. Okay, he's not really the head gardener, but he does enjoy the garden, and he is a specialist in blueberry plants. Really, he is. Let me explain:
A few year ago, I purchased some small blueberry plants because they were for sale at a bargain price. False economy. They took years to reach fruiting size. But eventually, one spring, they produced quite a lot of blossom. This coincided with the arrival of Joey to our household. He loved to wander around the garden, smelling all the flowers. But one day, I came home to find that he had dead-headed all the blueberry bushes. No fruit that year then.
The following year I moved the plants out of his reach whilst they flowered. And then I put them back in their original positions. What was I thinking ? You know what's coming, don't you ? Yes, sure enough, I came home one day to find, that not only had he eaten all the ripe fruit, but also he had pulled off all the unripened berries from the plants. But just look at that cute little face.
Last year, I moved the plants out of his reach all season. I didn't put any netting on them, because there was more than enough fruit to share with the resident blackbirds. Didn't realise the blackbirds were going to have a party and invite all their friends, did I ? I managed to rescue the remaining berries and put nets over them.
And this year ? Well I did that pruning the other day, you know.
Happy Birthday Joey! He's adorable and a good gardener. My MIL has blueberries and it's always a contest to keep the birds out of them. She has to weight the nets with bricks or the birds will crawl under the net to get to the berries.
ReplyDeleteI might try that with the nets this year, because I noticed the birds were getting underneath as well.
DeleteYou're starting to persuade me against getting a blueberry bush! I'd heard the birds always got the fruit before anyone else! Happy Birthday to Joey. You should make him a blueberry pie. It's obviously his favorite!
ReplyDeleteOh no, don't be put off getting a blueberry bush. They are worth the hassle. The fruit is gorgeous, as Joey will testify to.
DeleteI have'nt had much luck with Blueberries either...the local Badgers love them! Happy birthday to Joey.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog. Fortunately, we don't have any badgers, at least not yet.
DeleteWszystkiego najlepszego dla pieska, który lubi jagody . Pozdrawiam. *** All the best for the dog who likes berries. Yours.
ReplyDeleteMy dogs love cherry tomatoes.
ReplyDeleteLuckily my cherry tomatoes are grown in the greenhouse which is out of bounds to Joey.
DeleteHappy Birthday Joey!! What a cutie :-)
ReplyDelete