Home of the Practically Perfect Pink Phlox and other native plants for pollinators

Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Got Berries?

Lantana is a fine berry producer

There has been a wonderful parade of berries showing up on blogs all over the Blogosphere! We have seen beautiful trees and shrubbery heavy with reds, blacks, whites and even brown berries. Louis Comfort Tiffany would be inspired by the array of colors and shapes. Lamps and jewelry would be made to commemorate them all.

Our friends Frances, Lisa, Mr. McGregor's Daughter (ed.  MMD and Lisa need to be credited for this meme, thank you both) and Carol have had posts on berries! MMD has kindly let me know that Shady Gardener, Diana and Salix have also posted about their berry crop! Thank you Katarina and Yolanda Elizabet for reminding me of your post. Being a femmes d'une certaine age*, I've forgotten who else has posted on berries. Please, let me know so I may add your link to this one.

Let's see what we can find in the garden today.


Lantana 'Dallas Red' has delicious jewel toned colors and later these silvery green berries, which turn black with age.

I like this photo which shows, a new bud, a fallen flower, a forming seed head, the berries with the beautifully textured leaves of a Lantana.


Arisaema dracontium, a cousin of Jack in the Pulpit.


The Green Dragon a member of the Arum family is one of the best berry producers in my garden. It looks pitiful, but this is the natural order for an Arum.

Isn't the seed head magnificent?

Belamcanda chinensis
Blackberry Lily. The mass of round, black, fleshy seeds resembles a blackberry. Even though this plant is not a native, it has escaped and established itself enough to make it onto the pages of most Tennessee Wildflower books.

Laegerstroemia indica
Crape-Myrtle 'Natchez' the seed pods look like berries to me!


Lonicera tatarica, morrowii or maackii
Bush honeysuckle; the fragrance of the flowers seduced gardeners to plant this noxious invasive. It is crowding out natives in our woodlands and forests. This is a berry I wish wasn't near my garden.

Callicarpa japonica
Non native Beautyberry...it came with the garden! I love the sweet little flowers and the purplish berries. Both make up for the rather boring green shrub it is most of the year!

Juniperus virginiana
"Gray Owl" is a fantastic juniper and very fitting for Chez Ceder's garden.
It is a beautiful silvery gray foliage plant with green berries that will get bluer as they age. I wish that this was available to more homeowners and gardeners...it makes more sense then the chinensis cultivars sold in all big box stores!

Last Christmas we spent hours trying to find Juniper berries for a spiced beef dish a friend was going to make. I could have picked them off the shrubs in my yard! Juniper berries are a spice used in a wide variety of culinary dishes and best known for the primary flavoring in gin (and responsible for gin's name, which is a shortening of the Dutch word for Juniper: genever) The berries have long been used as medicine by many cultures. Thank you Wikipedia for this fine info!

Rhodotypos scandens

Jetbead is a small, multi-stemmed, up to 6 ft. (1.8 m) tall shrub that has become invasive in natural areas in the eastern United States. Jetbead is native to eastern Asia and was first introduced into the United States in 1866 as an ornamental. If you are wondering what family it belongs to...take a look at the leaves for a big hint. If you saw the flowers in the spring, you would quickly identify it as a member of the Rosaceae family. Another gift from the previous owner. It hasn't spread beyond the one small plant in the garden, but it might be carried away by visiting birds to other yards.


Cornus drummondii


Rough Leaved Dogwood has a strong presence in the back garden. It is a lovely tree in the spring and each fall produces the berries you see above. I must tell you, that this beautiful photo is not mine! The mosquitoes and ticks chased me from the garden and I had to get this one from the internet site~~Illinois Wildflowers! It's a great website and has been wonderfully helpful in educating me! What ever they are shooting with...I want!


We saved the best for last.

Viburnum rufidulum
Rusty Blackhaw comes through! I love Rusty...he is a fantastic small tree, with delightful white flower heads that morph into these beautiful berries. Soon his leaves will be burgundy colored. He is under appreciated and under used! I know Tina loves this tree or maybe it was the post!

That is the end of the berries at Clay and Limestone. What has become clear to me is that I must get me some more berries and soon! How has this been allowed to happen? How could I not have more viburnums or hollies? Recommendations are being accepted at this time. Direct lines are open for your convenience 24/7!

Gail


* a woman of a certain age

60 comments:

  1. Shady Gardener at Does Everything Grow Better in My Neighbor's Yard, Diana at Sharing Nature's Garden and Salix Tree at Windywillow also have posted about their berries. I think there were others, but I guess I'm also of a certain age & have to think about making dinner.
    I had no idea that Lantanas got berries. You can really tell that Green Dragon is related to Jack, they're berries look the same. The Viburnum is quite lovely. I've got to get one, once I figure out where to put it. (I'm having the same problem with skeeters as you are.)

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  2. You have a good variety of berry colours, each unique and worth bending over for a closer view. I like the glossiness of the lantana, Arisaema and Belamcanda. I've been fascinated by the pictures of beautyberries from warmer climates.
    I especially enjoy the wildlife that berries bring to the garden.
    In addition, some berries are so practical. While others are putting up pickles or preserving fruit in anticipation of the long, cold winter, you can be making gin to keep you warm.

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  3. Hi Gail, lovely and educational, as per usual. My mailman, Claude, da mailman, left me a baggie with seeds from the green dragon and I didn't know what it was. Now I do and will plant the seeds accordingly. They look just like the berries from Arum italicum, must be a relative. I am going to recommend the winterberry hollies to you and I think they are even natives! You need a male pollinator and forestfarm has a good selection if you cannot find any locally. The berries are red or gold and persist all winter on the deciduous shrubs. I have little viburnums that I can't speak for until they bloom and berry for me, winterthur, brandywine blue muffin, cardinal candy and opulus xanth... Your cornus with the white berries is fantastic, does yours look like the photo? How about bringing me some of the seeds? ;->
    Frances

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  4. MMD,

    Yes Lantanas berry up! Aren't they cool berries? Thank you for letting me know who posted about berries, I've added them to the post. The viburnum is terrific...I can vouch for it...I have 6 small trees! Fantastic fall color.

    The mosquitoes are horrid, still.

    Gail

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  5. Northern Shade,

    There I was reading your comment and shaking my head about Lantana, Green Draon, sighing because you can't grow Callicarpa up there in the far north regions, agreeing with you about the usefulness of berries in the garden, imaging the gardeners putting up fruit...then wham! I am laughing so hard my husband wants in on the joke!

    Fabulous comment;-)

    Gail

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  6. Great berries, Gail. Our dogwood berries are just starting, expecting the lantanas soon--the hollies will be awhile yet. Our Nor'easter, I hope, is driving all of the biting bugs elsewhere.

    Congrats on your Blotanical nominations--well deserved!

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  7. Beautiful pics of all your berries Gail. That Arum is really neat looking!

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  8. Frances,

    IThey are members of the arum family. Mice and voles love the fleshy pulp and carry the seeds to their nests..where they pop up as little seedlings in another part of the garden..handle with care, the fleshy juicy pulp might irritating to humans. Don't you love nature!

    Great ideas for the garden! Yes, I can get you seeds and yes the fruit looks exactly like the photo!
    I'll check to see when the dogwood seeds ripen.

    Gail

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  9. cosmo,

    I do like the berries and wish I had more! The shade and drt, neutral soil don't help! I wish the biting itching creatures would leave, but they love our summer weather! Thank you, the nominations are my 15 seconds of fame!

    Gail

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  10. Susie,

    They are cool...I hope you visited the other posters. They are in different parts of the country and Salix is in Ireland! It is :-) so nice that you stopped by!

    Gail

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  11. You're right, Rusty is magnificent. But I love that Green Dragon!!!!

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  12. Got milk? Love the Rusty. Makes me want one even more now seeing the berries. Your lantana berries look metallic and such a great photo! Frances also posted her berries. Great time of year for it isn't it?

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  13. I'm sure the birds are happy with all of the berries at C&L.
    Thanks for stopping by RNP and leaving a comment. I'll gladly do a post about bringing the caterpillars inside.

    I'll be gone all day tomorrow and won't get home until about 10:00pm.
    I'll try to do it on Friday.

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  14. Gail, I can always count on learning something new when I come to visit-the gin berries! The greendragon has lovely berries and would be worth having just for them. As for the viburnums, I fell in love with those this spring when several had pictures on their posts. So many kinds and all such great early spring bloomers. And now they have berries too! On my wish list for sure now. Also that beautyberry is gorgeous. I could put up with ho-hum for those lavender berries in the fall. Am really enjoying visiting all the berry sites. Thanks!

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  15. Great post, Gail. I DO love berries of any kind, any time... there is just something about them that fascinates me. Unfortunately I don't have very many in my garden. As a matter of fact none of my lantana have ever turned to berries and you're the second one to post photos of them. Is that because I keep trimming mine back and they keep blooming? Hmmm?

    I do need to see about adding the blackberry lily here- I'm thinking it is hardy here - must check on that one again. We see lots of the Junipers down here with the pretty blue berries. And I love the crape myrtle berries which I have too. All your other berries were pretty and yes, that Arum is magnificent.

    Meems @Hoe&Shovel

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  16. Perhaps I should jump on the bandwagon here...I didn't think I had anything with berries on it here, when I noticed to my surprise berries on my overgrown yews and on the lantana!
    Very informative post, Gail. I have used the Illinois Wildflowers website before, too; it's a great resource, isn't it?

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  17. Lots of wonderful berries in your garden Gail. You're doing better than me. I forgot about the Lantana's berries too. :) I really like the purple berries on your Viburnum 'Rusty'. I saw him at Lowe's when I was plant shopping.

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  18. "A woman of a certain age?" Yeah right... all gardeners are young at heart, don't you know? *grin*

    I love your berries post--that viburnum is lovely, in particular. I love seeing all of these things in your yard that I would love to have in mine... if only I would have room! :)

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  19. I wrote a post on berries too, a few days ago - although I haven't got as many as you have! Your parade of berries is great!
    /Katarina

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  20. I randomly posted a pic of the red Dogwood Berries, never thought to do an entire post of berries, good idea. Thanks for all the info, looking for one of those Viburnum 'Rusty Blackhaw'. Rusty is my husband's nickname.

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  21. Hi Gail, you have some really intersting berries here. I love the arum-type berry cluster. They are so intersting. My crazy italicum arum has only had berries twice. It must not like where it is growing despite getting larger every year.

    We had one of those honeysuckle bushes in our garden and I let it go for a few years. It was a bear to get out. When I discovered how invasive it was I decided it must go despite all of its other good qualities.

    The viburnams that I have in the garden make berries but they are the first eaten by birds so I had none to show for now.

    Great post. I am glad you posted. The next time we get a meme going we will have to use Mr Linky so we don't miss any.

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  22. Bonnie,

    If I could figure out how to get the seeds to you I would! You can grow Rusty in Austin...I think! The berries are a fine color aren't they?

    Gail

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  23. Tina,

    Now you must get a Rusty*! It is a nice time for berries. It's so easy to get caught up in flower color and lose sight of other plant qualities.

    Frances' berry post is great, she has many berry producing shrubs that I want to try...my hesitation has been the dry neutral soil we have here! There is a native holly I think is terrific...Ilex glabra/inkberry but it loves a moist soil.

    Gail

    ** Native Gardens in Greenback TN sells them via the mail...I don't think they are too badly priced...

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  24. Robin,

    Thank you! It will be a fun read. I will be winging my way to RI to see my son and might not get to read the post until Saturday or later. He may have me over scheduled.

    Gail

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  25. Good morning Gail, you've got some great berries there at Clay and Limestone, and I'm sure the resident critters will be enjoying them in the coming weeks and months.

    The earlier berries here - mulberries, serviceberries, and cornelian cherries have already been mostly consumed by our critters. We made the difficult choice to do some hard pruning of some of the other berry-producing shrubs here a few months ago. It made me a bit sad to take out the multitude of branches with immature berries all over them. I'll miss watching the birds enjoying them, and the antics of upside down squirrels nibbling on them this fall.

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  26. You have quite a few berries! Ol'rusty looks good. So does the beautyberry, I need to get a few of them. I think I may have some native ones in the woods. A berry post sounds like a good idea, although I don't have much right now. I'll have to walk around this weekend and see what i can find!

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  27. Beckie,

    I am so glad you enjoyed your visit here and to the other sites. Lots of good ideas and even more plants to add to the lists! Sometimes, I need a reality check...there are plants that would be unhappy at C&L, sigh, but I seem to want them anyway!

    Your comment about the Beautyberry caused me to give it a second look, thank you! It really has a nice green color to the leaves. Sometimes it takes another gardener's perspective to help us appreciate what we have.

    Gail

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  28. meems.

    I often forget to cut the Lantana's spent flower and it goes to seed, so we get berries. When we were at the SC beach this past June, the Lantanas were over 6 foot tall; so I completely understand that you have to keep it trimmed! It would take over your garden other wise.

    Blackberry Lily is hardy to Zone 10...so it's safe! You will love it. It comes in orange or yellow. Both are striking in a big planting. That's my goal a nice swath of them.

    Gray Owl is a cultivar of the native juniperus and that makes sense to me. But then I am a native plant advocate, too.

    ;-) Gail

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  29. Rose,

    Oh do post...I want to see the Yew Berries! The Illinois site is wonderful...it almost always pops up when I do a wildflower search...so many plants that we grow will grow in your neighborhood...well, there seems to be this gray area known as 'Northern Illinois' that is often the exception. Central Illinois must be bit warmer?

    Gail

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  30. Racquel,

    I am sighing over a Rust at Lowes! Never would we find him here. Your buyer must be fantastic. You are indeed fortunate! May I suggest that you purchase Rusty! He is a really lovely tree/shrub. I grow mine as small trees and they dot the yard with pretty flowers in the spring and beautiful color in the fall. They give us leaf color that we don't normally get in Middle Tennessee. I am still sighing over your Lowes!

    gail

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  31. Kim/BSG,

    Room~~ I have a lot of that...just not enough gardener! I hear you though, a visit to a few gardens and the wish list is pages long!

    The viburnum is a good looking tree. The berries are a striking color. Those viburnums know how to put on a color show!

    Gail

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  32. katarina,

    Thanks for the heads up...I added you to the post..I thought your berries were perfect! But your September Roses was knock your socks off beautiful.

    gail

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  33. Lisa,

    Mr Linky sounds great, as soon as I read your comment I checked him out! You and MMD had a great idea and I hope you didn't mind all the links from my post when you guys really started it!

    It is amazing that there is any Rusty berries left. You can see that they are disappearing. This particularly tree is just outstanding...there are several in my front gardens. maybe the other viburnums could grow here, too.

    Thank you for starting the berry meme!

    Gail

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  34. Ohhh...I'll have to go searching my yard for berries!

    I have holly in my new yard...I'm excited to see those berries for sure!

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  35. I need to go outside and check the berries! You do have quite a few and some unusual ones at that! I like that viburnum and will enjoy your pictures as it will not grow here in the Northeast. Nice glossy leaves!

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  36. layanee,

    It is is a native of the Southeastern States, but have you looked at Viburnum prunifolium? Similar flowers and a lovely fall color, but then fall is NE and you probably have plenty of fabulous leaf color! We get hungry for the reds and burgundies that are everywhere in New England. Lots of yellows and a bit of orange and a few folks with moister soil can grow the maples that will turn red. I just looked at the weather looks like we're in for some rain in R! this weekend! I will pack accordingly.

    Gail

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  37. Kristy,

    You'll find them in the most unexpected places, too.
    Hve fun on your berry treasure hunt!

    gail

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  38. Dave,

    Any chance you will try to propagate the native Beautyberry Bush? Pretty please! I would love to see if it will grow easily from seed or if another method works better. No garage or basement to try it myself! I haven't noticed any offspring nearby but it is not ideal where it is growing either.
    ;-) gail

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  39. Darla,

    Try here for Rusty: http://www.marshalltrees.com/home.asp?n=14 It's located in Florida...Good luck finding Rusty for your spouse! That would be a lovely gift in your garden.

    Gail

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  40. garden girl/Linda,

    Pruning is almost as hard for me as editing plants from the garden. I am always fearful I will take out an important branch and destroy a trees looks. A professional is needed for this issue..gail meet arborist!

    You have some great early berries and it is a delight to know they have fed the critters so well. All the juneberries were gone before I had a chance to sample them!

    I bet your berry producers will be even more productive and beautiful next year!

    Gail

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  41. Gail, what a great post. I love berries, especially the ones the birds can eat. You have so many, they look great in the fall garden.
    Marnie

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  42. Such a wondeful collection of berries and, like you, my favourite is the Rusty Blackhaw; those berries look fantastic!
    BTW I posted about berries too, strawberries. ;-) And I forgot to post about my other berries, those of the black variety, as in blackberries. Yummy!

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  43. great looking berries and quite a few varities. your little birds and other creatures will love coming to your garden to get all the goodies.

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  44. Marnie,

    If Lisa and MMD hadn't started this meme...I would have been unaware of how beautiful the berries are in my garden. I have under appreciated them.

    Yep the critters would starve in this garden...we need more berries!

    Gail

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  45. marmee,

    Hi. I saw a Cardinal munching on the seeds of the River Oats...it was so neat. Of course, by the time I got the camera he had flown off! Do you carry your camera with you everywhere?

    Gail

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  46. YE,

    Amended! I wish I could taste the wild strawberry you showed us in your recent post! Yummy. I have read that they taste so much better then the 'grocery' variety!

    Gail

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  47. I have a sudden craving for some jam! They all look good enough to eat!

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  48. Fabulous berry post Gail. I am in love with your Rusty Blackhaw. I haven't seen it before and now I want one!! I love anything with a berry to feed our wildlife friends. Bring on the berries for sure! I want you to post a picture of your burr oak acorns tho (I saw your post on Shady Gardeners blog about it and my burr oak acorns are not fuzzy?)

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  49. What beautiful pictures. I love all the different berries, even the poke berries along the edge of the ditchs around here.

    I especially love the red berries of Holly and the greeish color of mistletoe, during the Christmas season.

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  50. Wow Gail-you gots lots of berries. Good for the critters. Love the lantana! I plant several every year even though I'm allergic to them.

    I hope you don't get the gas problems we have. I saw where you commented on it. I'm not worried yet---yet!

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  51. Skeeter,

    You would be in a jam if you ate any of them!

    Gail

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  52. kathleen,

    I will...I have them photographed already. I will post next week. The tree is pretty cool. I do have a post on
    the Burr Oak some place in the archives....also I want you to see how tall the Celosia is now!

    Gail

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  53. eve,

    You do like berries! I love poke berry but haven't any growing here. I did notice that Poison Ivy and Virginia Creeper are both berrying up! They can be invasive in a southern garden like mine.

    We need hollies here! Any suggestions?

    Gail

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  54. Anna,

    Yep, we are having the gas crisis here, too. It seems a SE states crisis!

    Ouch! Plant allergies aren't comfortable. I am only allergic to Poison Ivy, so far! It is a miserable feeling.

    Gail

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  55. Great news!! I'll look forward to seeing both the acorns and the celosia Gail. The acorns from my oak are very small and pretty nondescript. My tree guy is supposed to be here soon, so I'm going to ask him again if he's sure I have a Burr Oak.

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  56. gail i have been borrowing my son's little digital lately and putting it in my pockets or purse. there are so many things i love to photograph. i need to buy myself something small and conveinient to throw in my purse.
    are you going to market on saturday>?

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  57. Wonderful post on the different berries! I was happy to learn that lanatana have berries, and also to find out about Viburnum Rufidulum, the Rusty Blackhaw. Thanks for a great post!

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  58. Hmm I night just to propagate some beauty berry Gail!

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  59. Hi Gail ~ I was away and I've missed my blogging friends! I'm finally catching up.
    Love all those berries - especially that beautyberry. It has such a striking color.

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"Insects are the little things that run the world." Dr. E O Wilson