Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard
The southern blueberries, Calif. huckleberries, and artichokes would appreciate partial shade during your summers.
The blueberries -- regardless of hybrid will fruit early enough due to your relatively temperate winter. For flavor, SharpsBlue is the standard and it is self-fertile. O'Neill's is another good pick. Most of the varieties that fruit earlier or later were bred for that feature.
The Calif. evergreen huckleberries have a moderate growth rate if fed regularly and otherwise are slow growers. What a great plant. In the early years the fruits are small but with maturity the fruit size is a bit larger than a pea but smaller than the larger blueberry fruits. I keep saying "Calif. huckleberries" because the name "huckleberry" is used worldwide for a variety of Vaccinium fruits including bilberries and cranberries. Typical native habitat for the Calif. huckleberry is on the east or west drip line of a conifer.
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I have a "native type" of blue berry that is growing wild on my place and the berries are the size of small peas. The problem is that the birds selectively eat these faster than a second wild type that is a bit larger. If I have a choice I go for the larger berries and if I can for other species go for red or green versus very dark or even white if it is available. The birds seem to favor attacking darker fruit. Berry loss from hungry animals and birds is a real problem.