Scottish Rock Garden Club Forum
Seedy Subjects! => Seeds Wanted => Topic started by: John S. on March 05, 2007, 11:14:21 AM
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Hi,
I'd be interested to know if anyone has Rubus chamaemorus (Cloudberry, Hjortron, Hilla, Moltebeere, Molte, Multebær) seed available?
Many thanks and regards
John
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Hello, John S, welcome to the forum. I have no seed of the cloudberry for you, I'm sorry. We don't get much fruit.
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Do you get ANY fruit Maggi. From what I've read about it, even the far north of Scotland isn't cold enough to produce a fruit crop.
However, on April 26th 2006, there was a post offering to supply seed to an enquirer. Not sure if he wants his name broadcast here, so I'll email privately to John S.
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Lesley, once or twice we have had a berry or two, no more than that, and before they ripen the blackbird gets them, in spite of our attempts to get there first!
In the last few years the plant is just ticking over and gets trampled on by the paper boy. >:(
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I lost mine in a succession of extremely dry summers around 2-5 years ago. It's not replaceable in NZ unfortunately. Anything with a blackberry generic name makes MAF have kittens - or nightmares. In any case though it was a very nice goundcover, I had only a male plant so no fruit even if I could have produced the right climate for it. I have a book about berries ("The Berry Garden, Cultivation, Decoration and Recipes" with text by Mary Forsell and photographs by Tony Cenicola.) The pics of R. chamaemorus still occasionally have me waking in the night, longing to try some.
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Aahh, now finally being situated next to the north pole pays out. There is plenty of Rubus chamaemorus around in the mountain forrests in my area. Some years we have very good crops in the wet mores, some years only the occacional berry. I will be happy to provide you with fresh berries/seed - or even tear up a small plant or two for you, John. The only thing is that you will have to remind me in late juli, either here on the forum or email me privately.
Incidently, I have read that theese plants, due to their vegetative spread and stable environment, can reach several hundred years old, and thus often are much older than the trees around them. Fascinating isn't it?
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There's been a lot of work on developing cultivation techniques for cloudberries here in Norway over the last few years and a number of cultivars are now available commercially (if you purchase more than 1,000 plants I can get them for you for only 60p each! ;) ). Cloudberry is dioecious and it's recommended that one plants about 90% female plants to 10% male to get good fruit set...
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I think our lonely male plant was being too trampled on to do his job properly for his lady friends :-[
60p each seems very reasonable: now I just need to buy some frozen land in the north and plant 1000, I will be having Cloudberry jam in no time!! ;) ;D
Worth doing, the jam is delicious!
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Reading this subject has just reminded me --we received a gift from Howard Clase and his wife Leila when they visited NZ from Newfoundland last year.
I have to admit i'd forgotten :o we still had the small untouched jars of Cloudberry,(bakeapple), and Lingonberry,(partridgeberry),jam.
I'm just about to have morning tea and will try a little of each on a piece of toast. :P Unfortunately Lesley we haven't enough to share with you :'( but don't worry i'll describe in great detail the taste --the sensation...then that may help you sleep better at night or it may not >:( (Hehe).
Cheers Dave
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I have a very rude word for you Dave but not here. I'll save it for when I next se you. Enjoy your jam though.