I acquired two small blackberry bushes earlier this year and repotted them into cloth bags. Bush #1, the over-achiever, started flowering and fruiting almost immediately. It sent new growth shooting off into every direction and looked like it might take over its little section of the garden. Bush #2, well, it just sat there doing nothing. No flowers, no new growth. It almost felt like it was pouting.
Fast-forward to this past week. I went out to water them one morning and, lo and behold, Bush #2 has decided to wake up. There are now a handful of blossoms and it looks like we may get some late-season berries.
Tender white flowers
as the cold weather sets in
remembering spring
Have you ever been surprised by a late-season bloom?
RB
I love how they took turns so they each had their moment to shine!
Last year my lilac trees burst into a second bloom in the fall (I don’t ever remember that happening before, they always have just bloomed in the spring)
Oh, that’s amazing, Dawn! Maybe they are aware that we need a little burst of beauty and give us those unexpected flowers. 🙂
Yeah ~ myself!
Nice! Better late than never!
😊
Nice, you can see your passion for gardening and the joy of watching plants grow and thrive in new conditions.
Thank you!
Richard… that haiku – captures the feeling perfectly— a small, persistent moment of life against the coming winter.
It hasn’t happened to me with berries, but I was once surprised by a rose bush that threw out its most beautiful bloom in early November after I’d already pruned and tucked it in for the year. Nature often gives us those unexpected gifts!😇
Oh, that’s fantastic, Aparna! I love roses, as well. I hope mine will give me a late season bloom. 🥀
You’ve made me hungry for blackberries. They can be deelish.
LOL! Absolutely, my friend. Hope you find some good ones!
Patience pays dividends
Very true, Sheree. Sadly, I’m not a very patient person. 🙂
You boys are all the same!
Aww that’s a lovely poem! Beautifully composed 🙂
I always like seeing things out of season, even listening to a Christmas song on a hot summer day. So a flower in colder weather is always a nice surprise !
Definitely! Mix things up a bit and embrace the unexpected. 😉
Fascinating how plants can be so individual as well.
We gave my husband’s ouma a lemon tree for her birthday and it never produced lemon. About 6 years later she died and we bought her house. I decided it wouldn’t be a loss if we moved it to another place (because not surprisingly we wanted to extend our house out towards the lemon tree.) and surprise it suddenly grew and has been producing lemons there ever since… But I did also feed it extra compost and epsom salts every month.
Oh, that’s wonderful! It’s funny how particular plants can be (much like people!).
Yes 😂
I have a few Christmas cactus. One hasn’t bloomed in several years, but by changing its location a few times and moving outside for the summer, it now has several formed buds. Probably just needed more sunlight. I thought blackberry bushes always strived to dominate wherever they were. Enjoy those berries.
Oh, I lost a Christmas cactus last year (it was very old), so I plan to get a few more this season. Glad you were able to get yours to bloom!
I am playing cat and mouse with any possible frosts by leaving them out on the front porch where they get more sun than they would in the house. Think it helps blossom formation. I am not good at remembering to bring them in near sunset.
Interesting. When I get some, I’ll have to try a few different locations and see how they do. Good luck with yours, Pat.
Thanks, Richard.
That’s amazing, good on you. I’m afraid I have brown thumbs though I am continually trying. I will not be defeated!
LOL! You just haven’t found the right plants for you, Wayne. Never give up! 🙂
Richard you will never believe me, but I have just woke up this morning to see one of my plants has bloomed overnight!!! I didn’t even know it was a flowering plant!!
Whoa! That’s fantastic, Wayne! And yes, I believe you. 🙂
Sometimes, doing nothing is just what they need. 🌻
I will be taking a picture today as evidence haha.