Growing Bilberry

[Dave McCormick]

I was given some bilberry seeds and would like to grow the bushes in a large container when they get that far. Since I am moving house in a few months, I would like to get them started now in a pot(s) but not sure how to grow them. Anyone know how I would grow them?

[Piers]

Hi Dave,

Copied from somewhere or other:

The normal mode of propagation is through seeds. Bilberry seeds are sown in late winter in a lime free potting mixture within a greenhouse - the seeds must be lightly covered with soil and not buried in the seed bed.

A time period of upwards of three months may be required by stored seeds to overcome cold stratification.

One study suggests that bilberry seeds are best sown inside a greenhouse as and when they ripen. As the seeds germinate and seedlings reach five centimeter in length, each of the seedlings can be pricked out into separate pots and then grown in a lightly shaded site within the greenhouse for their first winter.

These seedlings can be planted out into their permanent sites late in the spring or in early summer, as soon as the last expected frosts of the year have passed.

Bilberry cuttings can also be taken; cuttings of the half ripened wood, each at 5 cm - 8 cm including a heel can be taken in August and propagated on a frame. The cuttings from mature wood can be taken late in the autumn. The bilberry can be subjected to layering late in the summer or early in the autumn. One study states that the spring season is the best time to layer the plants.

Also see HERE

Happy gardening.

Piers.

[Dave McCormick]

Thanks Piers, I can grow them in a glasshouse for the moment. The house I am moving into in August has a long garden which I am planning to split into 3 sections since I have three seed mixes. First is a coastal plant area with coastal native wildplants that include sea-milkwort, sea campion, thrift (sea pink), sea kale, sea spurry etc...

A wildflower meadow area with native wildflowers that include tansy, teasel, ox-eye daisy, birds-foot trefoil, vipers burgloss, selfheal, foxglove, pignut, wild strawberry, knapweed, water mint, meadow buttercup, rosebay willowherb, ragwort, dog violet, sweet violet, white and red clover etc....

and another area for rare native wild flowers that include goats beard, small teasel, wild pansy, greater knapweed, field scabious, yellow-horned poppy, yellow rattle, small cow-wheat, small nettle, barren strawberry, corn cockle, corn marigold, cornflower, Babington's Poppy, dark mullein, great mullein bee orchid, twayblade, hemp nettle etc...

Some of the plants I have started growing (over a few months so they are established can can be moved in)... sheep's sorrel, foxglove, common Valerian, hedge bedstraw, raspberry and blackcurrant.

There is a number of mature trees in the garden already (Alder, Apple, Hawthorn, Whitebeam, Cherry) so taking my 8 year old sessile oak, blackthorn and 5 year old x2 grey sallow, goat willow and common osier. Also going to get an ash, crab apple another oak, common osier and birch.

With this, I hope to maximise the amount of wildlife I could get in the garden when it becomes established in a year or so. Also want to make a small pond in a large container, I have yellow iris started growing and a hemlock water-drop wort. Some of the other plants I want to keep in containers such as the juniper, bilberry and hearts-tongue ferns I am growing.

Where I am moving is less than a mile to the coast and the current owner said he has had a cormorant land on the roof before. If possible (have to see the area again when I move in) I want to have a small bog area with bog myrtle (sweet gale), large leaves sundew, oblong leaved sundew and heather/bell heather. Oh and have to have a patch of dock and nettles for the nymphalid butterflies and small copper. I can also move my holly too and dog rose. I have a few snowberry bushes that can do instead of honeysuckle as the honeysuckle feeding moths use snowberry as its a related plant (I have often found moth caterpillars that use honeysuckle, using snowberry, these include lilac beauty and early grey)

Well my strategy is, for conservation, make the most of what you can do with the garden you have. Even if you don't have a garden big enough like this, you can grow something important that is native and supports the most insect live that will attract the birds and other wildlife. That usually is willows. Oak and willow being the two most important trees for insects, oak takes longer so why I am going to grow some oaks and more willows, quick solution. I have 8 one year old oaks that are 10cm tall but may be years before they get to a big enough size to support much insect life. I have English elms growing, got from seeds from a mature English elm that survived disease when many others died from it and have a few seedlings starting to grow but may sell these for conservation when bigger since elms are rare in NI now.

People often think growing plants like Indian balsam or buddliea will be good for attracting insects like bees or butterflies, but they are not native and in the wild they wouldn't rely on those to be fed or breed with, so I only plan to grow native plants.

[Piers]

Sounds good Dave

I look forward to photographs of your new garden as well as some of your local wildlife sightings.

Let us know how you get on with the Bilberry...

Piers.

[Dave McCormick]

Sure thing Piers. Forgot, the cherry tree I am taking with me is a bird cherry, not a common tree around here, think there is only 2 known in the 50 mile area. There was one grown from the 1700's some time, but it died a few years ago.

Going to take videos of the garden over the year as it progresses, from planting to blooming and do a time lapse style video of it every month from September. Also will get photos too.