Who Ate My Blueberries?

I had to laugh this week when I was visiting my step-father and he was showing me all of his plants. Sitting on the edge of the pot, there was the cutest fat little chipmunk, happily eating a ripe blueberry. We watched him finish it and then stretch up to reach another blueberry.

Always the nurseryman, Joe Festerling loves having a selection of annuals and perennials on his back patio. Along with his 50-plus-year-old Gardenia and, who knows how old Lily of the Nile, he has pots of petunias, lantana, roses, raspberries, and this blueberry bush. He has planted both the raspberry and blueberry in pots to drag in and out of the garage in the early spring and late fall.

Joe likes to watch certain plants to see how they perform over a few years. Plus, if he really likes a plant, he will also take cuttings. At 80, there is no slowing him down. Whenever he has extra plants, he will pull his big wagon down by the end of his driveway and put out his sign and coffee can. I ask him how business is, and he will either smile or shake his head and say, “They just won’t buy things not in bloom.”

Having a blueberry bush in your yard is one of the best things ever. If you only have a small patio with sunshine, there are types of blueberries you can do as Joe does and keep in a container, but you must be willing to take care of it in the cold seasons and keep it watered in the summer. We are so lucky to have access to my daughter’s 70 plus year-old blueberry bush that my in-laws planted. Over 6′ tall, this bush provides enough blueberries for all three families and birds. Maybe even a chipmunk or two.