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June 2006, Volume 3 Number 1
Taking the Right Steps to having a beautiful
and healthful display
Preparing your Lawn for Spring
Bug Out! Homeowners have many things to consider
when choosing an insecticide
Rose Care
Pest Spotlight - Stinging Wasps, Hornets and
Carpenter Bees
Harlan Pepper, the bloodhound-raising character from the film “Best in Show”, had a unique knack for being able to name every type of nut. “Peanut, chestnut, macadamia nut…” But could he – or anyone – name every type of berry?
It’s possible, but they would have to be aware that not every fleshy fruit with the suffix “-berry” is actually a berry. Or, rather, not every perceived berry is what’s known as a true berry.
For instance, strawberries? Not a true berry. The same goes for raspberries and blackberries. Common language includes these fruits as berries, but it is incorrect, botanically speaking. Most who make this common mistake refer to the culinary definition of berries, which encompasses all fruits ending in “-berry”
These wanna-berries are different than true berries because they develop from multiple pistils – a flower’s seed bearing organ – rather than one pistil, which is how true berries grow.
True berries, which fulfill every requirement, include blueberries and huckleberries.
To be considered a berry by botanical definition, a fruit must develop from seeds inside the ovary wall – called the pericarp – of a plant flower. Yet, even this definition is confusing, because fruits including tomatoes, eggplants, red peppers, and grapes fall into it.
Berries, regardless of definition, are a sweet treat for the many species of birds that may populate gardens. Berries are attractive to birds because they are essential to birds’ diets. Birds also help berries spread naturally, as seeds are airlifted to new areas via bird droppings.
While this natural cycle is remarkable, gardeners are none too impressed by birds who pillage their plants. Master Gardener Cathy Smith of Clemson (S.C.) University in Murrells Inlet, offers a tip on how to deter these low-flying predators, “Putting plastic or cloth netting over bushes and frames works as a practical control” to prevent the birds from accessing the berries at all.
But what about the other pesky buggers that roam your garden? If using an insecticide to control bugs, Smith advises green thumbs, “The best management practice is to spray [insecticide] at times when honeybees aren’t doing anything, like the early morning or late afternoon.
A carbaryl application is effective and appropriate for many types of berries; however consult the label on your insecticide to ensure berries in your garden are included.
If you read the label carefully, you might just be able to say, “Blueberry, huckleberry, dewberry …”
