5 Berries That I Regretted Planting. Growing Experience, Advantages And Disadvantages. Photo

2023 Author: Ava Durham | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-08-25 07:50

As an avid gardener, I love experimenting with different planting materials. Many plants have passed through my hands over the years of gardening. Some of them have become permanent residents of my garden and do not cease to delight from year to year. The other part is neutral: in principle, not bad, but the search for the best continues. And, unfortunately, such a category of species and varieties of plants did not pass me by, the planting of which I eventually regretted. In this article, I would like to talk about the berries that disappointed me. However, since these plants also have positive sides, I will try to be objective and describe both their pros and cons. Perhaps some of the readers will find these plants more suitable than me - their positive characteristics will prevail.

1. White strawberries

In this case, I fell victim to my love for non-standard original plants. I was seduced by a beautiful picture with unique berries of "strawberry-albino" and even with pineapple flavor, I bought several seedlings of white-fruited "strawberry" variety "Pineberry". The price of the bushes was biting, but I was sure that the curiosity was worth it.

I managed to taste the first berries in the first year after planting. Fortunately, it turned out not to be a re-grading or a deception, and the berries ripened snow-white with bright red seeds and looked really unique and appetizing. At the peak of ripening, the main background turned slightly pink, but the strawberries were still very exotic in appearance.

Disadvantages of white strawberries

As for the taste, it seemed to me ambiguous. The planting stock producers did not deceive, and the name “pineapple strawberry” was justified. In fact, the pulp tasted like pineapple. But at the same time, this “strawberry” could not be called sweet, as there was a clear sourness in it. And, in principle, it could not be called “strawberry” either - it did not have the classic taste and aroma of garden strawberries, so beloved by many. For my taste, although it was a very pleasant berry, it was not at all that strawberry, from which it is impossible to tear yourself away.

Another disadvantage of Pineberry strawberries is low yield. Compared to some of the most prolific red strawberries, she was just ridiculous. And, finally, the third minus is the small size of the berries (1.5-2.5 grams), which look quite crumbs, especially against the background of large-fruited garden strawberries. At the same time, her bushes also seem weak due to their low growth and small foliage. So after a couple of years I replaced these exotic strawberries with more productive and large-fruited varieties.

But if there is a lot of space on the site, then it is quite possible to keep several bushes of albino strawberries to the surprise of guests and neighbors. But that's not my option. I would also like to note that at the moment there are other varieties of white strawberries, for example, "White Swede" or "Anablanca". Perhaps they are more successful, but I will definitely not start the Pineberry variety on the site anymore.

2. Currant-gooseberry hybrid

I would like to make a reservation right away that the most popular hybrid of currants and gooseberries "Yoshta" is one of my favorite berries. I like it even more than gooseberry, as it has a minimum of acid and a very pleasant taste. But Yoshta is not the only hybrid of these plants.

There is another "impostor" on the market without the exact name of the variety, which is sold under the name "currant-gooseberry hybrid". This strange plant turned out to be due to the dishonesty of the seller of seedlings. He sold a similar bush as a kind of thornless gooseberry with the fictitious name "Honey".

Disadvantages of the currant-gooseberry hybrid

In the first year after planting, the plant made me very happy with its unusually powerful growth, and in one season the twig turned into a lush and powerful tall bush. The next year, I waited for fruiting and noted a scanty harvest, especially in relation to such a vegetative power of the bush - literally a few berries.

I waited for ripening for a very long time, compared to other varieties of currants and gooseberries, but as long as I did not approach the bush, the berries remained “oak”. For the sake of experiment, I even tried one hard berry, but because of the acid, it was impossible to eat it.

When I finally waited for full ripeness, the result did not please me - the acidity without the slightest hint of sweetness, the size of a large currant, the color is the same dark, the shape of some berries is round and others are slightly elongated. I also want to note that this strange hybrid was distinguished by its ability to attract a lot of pests.

Of course, such a curiosity was removed from the site after the first harvest. The second time I came across this "miracle of selection" at the dacha of my mother-in-law. The plant was sold to them as a currant-gooseberry hybrid without specifying the variety, and the same picture - a powerful bush, a handful of sour berries and leaves affected by pests.

Probably, we will never know who was the author of this unsuccessful cultivar, but it is absolutely certain that unscrupulous sellers liked it - fast growth, excellent presentation and the opportunity to get a lot of planting material. Subsequently, it can be passed off as anything - even for currants, even for gooseberries, even for their hybrid. Be careful and do not buy seedlings in the markets, because this plant is distributed there. This berry has no advantages at all.

3. Goji berry, or common Dereza

Once a friend treated me to dried berries that looked like barberry. And these were the very legendary goji berries, the rumor about which spread all over the Internet. I really liked this dried fruit, quite sweet with a light pleasant bitterness. And soon I bought a package of dried berries at a nearby supermarket to experience their effect on my health.

I don't know if this was the result of self-hypnosis, or if the goji really have such an effect, but during their intake, I clearly felt cheerfulness and a surge of strength. Thus, absolutely everything suited me in goji berries: the composition, and the effect on well-being, and taste. Only the exorbitant price was unsuitable. A couple of times I came across goji berry seeds for sale, but I decided to do it easier - I extracted the seeds from several dried berries and sowed them.

Growing goji from seeds turned out to be no more difficult than growing tomato seedlings. The seeds sprouted quickly, the seedlings were abundant and developed before our eyes. In mid-May, I planted the grown goji bushes in the garden in a permanent place. The distance between the bushes made about a meter. The first fruiting was already the next season, but the harvest consisted of only a few berries.

Disadvantages of goji berry

At the moment, my goji berries are 5 years old. These are huge bushes over two meters, but their yield leaves much to be desired. And, of course, it is not comparable to our local berries such as currants or gooseberries.

I eat goji berries grown on my site both fresh and dried, and they taste no worse than imported ones. But it is not known whether they contain all the nutrients that they receive in their homeland. It is believed that medicinal plants are most effective only when they are collected in their natural habitat.

As for the goji, I can say that if I knew about the results, then, for sure, I would not have planted this shrub, first of all, because of the low yield. But goji have some other problems, for example, low winter hardiness. I planted some of the bushes in my dacha, and the other part in the city garden near a private house. Unfortunately, the goji planted outside the city completely froze out in the very first winter. So this plant is also not very hardy in the middle lane. And I would not recommend them to take a place in the garden.

4. Black raspberries

This berry has been growing in the parental garden for as long as I can remember. The bush got to its parents under the name of ezhemalin (a hybrid of raspberries and blackberries), but among ourselves we always called it blackberry for the black color of the berries. In fact, as I later learned, it was the black raspberry (Rúbus idáeus), or blackberry-like raspberry. Now we can only guess about the variety, but, in principle, most of its varieties are similar to each other.

This plant has bright purple shoots and many small thorns, the leaves are similar to raspberry, but darker, slightly different in shape and smaller in size. Berries are a characteristic drupe, but they are about 2-3 times smaller than the average raspberry in size, dark purple in color, almost black.

In fairness, first it is worth noting the indisputable merits of this berry. Firstly, black raspberries have an amazing taste - it is much more interesting than raspberries, and an order of magnitude sweeter and richer than most blackberry varieties in the middle lane.

The bushes have a very high yield, so as children we literally got tired of eating and collecting it. Black raspberry compotes turned out to be incredibly tasty and very beautiful saturated color, but for jam it was rather dry. Most of the harvest was eaten raw, because it was difficult to break away from it.

Disadvantages of black raspberries

And yet, when I got my own plot, I did not take the "ezhemalina" to my garden. Its main drawback is an indomitable desire to creep. Unlike red raspberries, black ones are scattered not only by the rhizome. The plant has long arcuate-curving shoots up to 3 meters long, the tops of which bend to the ground, instantly take root, forming a new bush.

Restrictions on the place of growth will not save the situation, because its long lashes can easily jump over any fence. Thus, black raspberries form dense, impenetrable thickets literally before our eyes, capturing new territories.

The second significant drawback is the thorns (thorns), of which there are a great many on the stems. Collecting such a "blackberry" is very difficult not to get hurt, and it can be scary to look at your hands after harvesting. But the berries, of course, are too small compared to raspberries and blackberries.

Nevertheless, the main reason is complete "unbridledness", therefore, in my opinion, such a plant, despite all its advantages, has no place in an easy-care garden.

5. Cherry Bessey

In advertising photographs, this unusual cherry looks like a dream - low bushes, literally covered with delicious berries of a rich color. But many sellers of planting material are silent about some characteristics of this plant. In particular, the Bessey cherry is not exactly a cherry, but biologically it is a so-called "micro-cherry", which is somewhat closer to plums than to cherries. And if you look closely, you will notice that its fruits, indeed, look more like small plums.

Externally, the bushes of Bessey cherry in the first half of summer are more like a willow than a fruit tree. At the beginning of the season, they have narrow leaf blades with a light silvery bloom, and then turn green. The bushes are just over one meter high, and the branches tend to slope towards the ground.

As an ornamental plant, I have no complaints about the sand cherry. It has pretty foliage and in spring it blooms very beautifully and profusely with delicate white flowers. In autumn, the foliage of this shrub is bright red, with berries it also looks very attractive. Moreover, the berries do not crumble and can serve as a decoration for the garden even after the first frost.

Disadvantages of Bessey cherries

But when it came to tasting delicious-looking fruits, then I was disappointed. Bright cherries turned out to be sour and tart, and it was impossible to eat them fresh. There is information that wonderful compotes and wine are obtained from these fruits. But for the winter we do not close the compotes, and for the summer there are enough other fruits and berries, especially since it ripens late.

Moreover, over time, the Bessey cherry showed another drawback. Like its closest relatives - cherries and plums - this tree also turned out to be prone to overgrowth. She began to give out shoots here and there at considerable distances from the bush. The yield in my case turned out to be average, since this cherry requires a pollinator, and with ordinary cherries it, most likely, was not pollinated.

As far as I know, the Bessey cherry also has fans who like the unusual taste of its fruit. Therefore, I will not categorically discourage gardeners who want to plant it, to conduct their own experiment with this unusual cherry. But since I try to avoid plants that give shoots as much as possible, and the taste of cherries is not for everybody, we decided to say goodbye to this plant in our garden.