Hydrating the Plants and Blackberries as Weeds

A few plants arrived by mail Wednesday, so I put them in the wheelbarrow with several inches of rainwater to hydrate them overnight. Thursday began with thunderstorms promised. We are in the Procrastination Weather Zone, which means anything predicted will arrive later. Now, at 5:45 am on Friday, the thunder boomed.

Therefore, after the Thursday morning walk with Sassy, I left her outside with me for planting some Daisies and Stella D'Oro (Star of Gold, a daylily and also a cookie).

This bakery was Italian but kosher, so they had quite a following in NYC.

"Aren't Daisies the horticultural equivalent of Dandelions?" No, because these are Red Daisies, chosen for some variety. Therefore, I planted them where people would ask, "What are these?"

The Daisies were added to the Rose Garden, and the Stellas went to the space between the new Joe Pye Weed in the backyard garden, now known as Blackberry Acres. Sassy began looking at the door, so I asked her about going inside. Her broken-hearted bark said, "Yes, I am bored."

I enjoy digging into the garden soil to make way for new plants. Sitting gives me another look at the established plants. I saw the Easy Does It roses needing some additional pruning and the big, tall weeds appearing in one more place. Rose clippers serve both tasks easily.

The front yard is truly another Eden. Astute readers will recall that the thorns came later. When I am sitting on the soil, Robins hop nearby for food, knowing I will stir up the equivalent of rare steak. Rabbits casually hop within a few feet. Squirrels stay away but appear soon after. Above the birds sing Matins and on the cul-de-sac the neighbors go to work. Several women stopped to roll down the window and say thanks for the roses. I told them, "You deserve them!"

The fun part of planting is seeing the most important work done soon after - the long, slow rainstorm. By divine decree and intricate engineering, rain brings down tons of nitrogen with pure water to wash the plants, feed the roots, and enable all the soil creatures. Nitrogen is the foundation for protein, and God provides incredible amounts to feed, hydrate, and wash His Creation.

One time my parents let us all play outside in a big rainstorm, perhaps hoping to reduce the food and clothing budget. I still remember how much fun it was to feel the shock of cold water pouring down while splashing around in enormous puddles.

Birds and squirrels harvest them for free. Best go to the berry section of the supermarket for more than one at a time.

Blackberries as Weeds

Long ago I bought Triple Crown Blackberries, little realizing their zest for spreading. Two canes bent over and planted starts in potted plants left near them. Without help, they established themselves independently where they were not invited, not welcome. Besides that, the mature plants spread through the roots.

I tried to remove them on side of the house where the gate is. Only plantain weeds grew there. I got rid of plantain by replacing them. Those Triple Crowns (friendly canes, no seeds, huge berries) marched around the corner and spread throughout the back garden. I could tell from the blooms that a few last year filled the garden for this year. They blossom and fruit the second year, so that entire garden area owes grew during last year's all-summer drenching rains.

Foot traffic seems to keep Blackberries down, and so does mowing. I do not worry about harvest the berries, because the birds and squirrels get them all.

 I gave my Blueberries to our dentist's mother, who loved them in her new garden. I saw the canes wave and a saucy squirrel walk away with the prizes. I switched him to Blackberries.

Planting a New Blackberry Garden - Free - In Two Digs

Triple Crown Blackberries have many good qualities, besides being free of thorns:

1. They grow, bloom, and fruit in the shade, but really grow in the sun or partial sun.
2. They produce large, good berries - according to our birds and squirrels.
3. They spread on their own by tipping and shoots, even growing under mulch to pop out and produce another cane where a hole is found

The Logos, the Creating Word, engineered Blackberries and its cousins in the larger rose family to spread through runners and tip rooting. Hold a piece of cane on the soil and it will produce roots and a new cane.

I was thinking about the Gabe Brown principle - "Leave a living root in the ground as long as possible." The Wild Garden has a lot of mulch, but not many plants so far. I tried some Elderberry there, but I learned afterwards that they do better as dormant starts, not when tender and growing in the spring.

First Dig
Blackberries are unstoppable, so I dug out a strong cane. "What's this?" The cane had many runners coming from the main plant. Once I dug it out, I pulled another long runner that traveled under a lot of mulch to find a new place to start.

Second Dig
I found the sunniest spot in the semi-shade of the  Wild Garden, a place where the soaker hose would travel to the thirsty Butterfly Bushes. I put a divot in the ground (something I learned when golfing...once).

Next I placed the runners in the same position they occupied before, shoveled some soil and mulch on them, and weighed this three-part garden down with small branches and logs.

Rain should fall today, and I will build up the plant with more rainwater. I did not have a chance to use much of the stored rainwater when the new front rolled in.

Birds and berries go together in the garden.

Planting the Blackberries

Sassy and I took our morning walk, and it was cool and breezy, ideal for planting. When I get help with the blueberries later today, it will be very hot and humid, but in the shade.

Every time I start digging, I think of the Russian tale, How Much Land Does a Man Need? He gets to walk around the perimeter to earn free land, but he over-reaches and dies from trying to get back to the starting point.

I had gallon pots of blackberries, the ones coming out of every window of the Ichaboat, so I only needed six of them.

One of the most pleasant occupations is re-arranging a little of God's Creation to have a new effect. I had plants galore in the back, including a vine with unusual growth, ampelopsis I think - not poison ivy. The vine is subtle. From a narrow stem it reaches up for sunlight and spreads in every direction. I snipped that initial feeder and the whole vine began wilting. False doctrine is like that - find the weakness and everything dies with it, but the seeds spring up later to try again.

The idea is to have a solid green fence that also bears fruit.

I planted a Beautyberry near the original Jackson Bird Spa.I am building up bird and insect friendly plantings near the spa.

The rain kept the baths full for a time, and they were really dirty. The Community Pool was used by starlings - even on rainy days. They gave back some of the seed and suet they have been eating, and I fertilized and watered the sunflowers they will soon be eating from.

The abundance of stored rainwater means I could give favored plants a boost. The wilted big store plant recovered right away with rainwater.

I soak plants before digging them in, if I have time. Otherwise I add rainwater afterwards.

A reader sent me a story about water for birds in the hot weather. They showed a typical bird bath, really just a sipping bowl. I have 12 of those - very useful. The two community pools are appreciated more. The birds like to get plenty of water around their feathers, wash the grit off, and shake dry. Then they preen in a private location up in the trees or on the fence.

Birds take dust baths, whether to eliminate bugs or - who knows. I have seen groups of birds getting their baths in the dry ground. There are little clouds of dust. If all the birds do this, that would explain the amount of soil at the bottom of the pool.