Bluesy Blues

There's something about a bare landscape that makes even the most amateur of gardeners decide "Gosh! I could do something with that!" Many of us spend winter evenings curled up with seed catalogs or taking strolls through the local garden center. Of course, those folks see us coming. They know what we like.

I had nothing in particular in mind when I strolled into Calloways' Nursery and mumbled something about wanting to plant a fruiting bush this spring. The clerk's eyes gleamed (you can see this coming, can't you). "Have you tried blueberries?" she asked with all the casual grace of a confectioner asking if perhaps you've tried chocolate. No, I hadn't tried planting blueberries. She led me astray -- right over to the containers of blueberry bushes. I was hooked. They're native American plants. They support several different kinds of butterflies and all the fruit-eating birds.

Yep. I was hooked!

Blueberries are a food you can love and feel good about. They're a "munch and go" food (no pitting or peeling needed) and they taste good. They're a source of high fiber (good for the cholesterol and the bowel) A one gives you five grams of fiber - more than most fruits and vegetables - and it's only 80 calories! Since they're high in antioxidants, blueberries are touted as a food that can help in the fight against cancer, promote urinary tract health, and help reduce the loss of memory and motor skills associated with aging, according to the Wild Blueberry Association of North America. And they taste good, too (did I mention that?)!

They also have some of the same compounds as in the European bilberry -- a fruit reported to be good for those of us with bad eyesight.

This is a wildlife friendly plant, as you might have guessed. Several types of Elfin butterflies rely on it to provide caterpillar food, and every fruit-eating critter in the country finds a meal of blueberries one of the finest treats around.

Since we've got a mulberry that produces berries in June, I'll be selecting blueberries that fruit in August.

Blueberries are fairly easy to grow, and there are cultivars that thrive in zones 3 through 9. They're not a very picky plant. They like acid soil, but will tolerate partial shade (this may be true only in the South. If you live in a colder zone, I'd plant the blueberries in full sun). You can find a blueberry for almost any garden need -- from ground covers to hedges that grow 6 to 8 feet tall. The one thing they do require is another blueberry plant for cross pollination -- so when you run

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