july is a glad month

[twoeleven]

gladioli, that is. the antler rats came back again, so i've been cutting glads and bringing them in as soon as the buds start to open, along with some other flowers the damned things seem to like. so, the house is decorated in flowers, with glads on every available surface we're likely to notice.

one of my big revelations from a couple of years ago is that flowers go where the people go. so, it's only useful to put cut flowers where we're likely to see them a lot, like the kitchen and some of the windowsills. (the spots also can't be in the way, so no flowers in the bathrooms. we just don't have the counter space.)

also, i have discovered that i've been harvesting most of my blueberries too early, which accounts for part of the off taste. wild-type blueberries and lightly domesticated varieties turn a much deeper blue than the store-bought ones. now that i know what to look for, i've been leaving them to ripen for a lot longer. the good ones¹ now taste better, with just a little sweetness to go with the intense blueberry taste.

lowering the pH also helped a lot; i'll have to keep an eye on it.

1: one bush is the tasteless variety stores usually carry. it's there for its precious bodily fluids pollen, since blueberries bear heavily only when pollinated by another variety.

Comments

[corvi]

Ooo, super blue blueberries. Do you have any photos?

[twoeleven]

ummm, the good berries didn't last long enough to photograph. they didn't even make it into the house. :)

but i'll try to get some pictures the next time i pick berries.

[ivy]

Hahaha, I was also interested in hue comparisons. I've gotten some tiny alpine strawberries this year, but no blueberries.

[bluepapercup]

A neighbor a few streets down has blueberries growing right! next to! the sidewalk!! and I plan to pilfer a few some evening...but now I am motivated to wait to let them get even bluer. ;)

[bluepapercup]

I also must note that he doesn't appear to water them and we're in a drought, and as I thought blueberries liked wet feet I am confused about how they're doing so well??

[twoeleven]

if the neighborhood is old, my guess would be a leaky water pipe. they do require wet feet; mine start to wilt quickly if not watered several times a week. IIRC, blueberries require an inch of water a week during the summer.