From: "William C. Garthright" <billg@inebraska.com>
To: NAFEX List <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: [NAFEX] Mulberry
Date: Fri, 08 Jun 2007 08:37:27 -0500
My Illinois Everbearing Mulberry - that I planted a year ago and which
grew extremely quickly last summer - never broke dormancy this spring.
It might have been the late cold snap that killed it, or just the colder
winter than usual. I might note that it didn't seem to harden off before
the winter, either - the first fall frost froze the green leaves on the
tree. It's weird, because that was the only tree that didn't worry me
when the freeze hit, because it hadn't leafed out. But everything else,
as bad as they all looked, recovered from the freeze surprisingly well.
Anyway, I need to plant a replacement next spring. As it turns out, I
planted another Illinois Everbearing Mulberry in a different location
this year. So I could plant something else here. I love mulberries - and
they might keep the birds and squirrels busy and away from the rest of
my plantings. Could anyone recommend a different type of mulberry that
would grow here on the plains (zone 5)? I want one that tastes really
good, but a dwarf or semi-dwarf tree would be nice, too. I really don't
have much room in this particular spot. I figured I'd have to prune like
crazy to keep the Illinois Everbearing Mulberry small enough, and I
don't know how well that would have worked, so a smaller tree - or even
bush - would be an advantage.
Most of the mulberries don't seem to be real cold-hardy. But I have
seen, in a catalog, a Geraldi Dwarf Mulberry that's supposed to be hardy
to zone 5. Anyone familiar with this? The description reads, "Excellent
fruits similar to Collier and IL Everbearing on a 6' tall tree." That
would certainly be small enough! :-) But it doesn't say how
abundantly it produces. And I've learned not to put too much faith in
these promotional descriptions, anyway.
Any suggestions? Thanks much!
Bill
Lincoln, NE (zone 5)
--
In science, 'fact' can only mean 'confirmed to such a degree that it
would be perverse to withhold provisional assent.' I suppose that apples
might start to rise tomorrow, but the possibility does not merit equal
time in physics classrooms. - Stephen Jay Gould
[NAFEX] Mulberry,
William C. Garthright, 06/08/2007