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Author Topic: R. H. Shumways  (Read 16637 times)

Offline Vance G

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R. H. Shumways
« on: January 07, 2013, 10:10:48 pm »
I became enamoured of the idea of planting some honeyberry shrubs.  They are a member of the honeysuckle family and supposedly produce a blueberry like flavored berry.  I recieved a catalog from this Shumway outfit of whom I am totally unfamiliar.  Has anyone had any dealings with this supplier?  I see the plant in the Starks catalog, but I have had mediocre or worse results buying from them.  Is anyone familiar with honeyberries and are they even worth pursuing?  They are very pricey.  Anyone grow lingonberries?  Thanks.

Offline AllenF

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Re: R. H. Shumways
« Reply #1 on: January 07, 2013, 10:33:09 pm »
I have seen Shumways, never ordered, but am very familiar with Starks.   That is the only fruit tree "brand" my dad would pay for.   
I have never seen a honey berry. Have you tried blueberries?

Offline Vance G

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Re: R. H. Shumways
« Reply #2 on: January 07, 2013, 11:17:43 pm »
blueberries will not grow here.  You can't add enough acid to get acid soil here.   the honeyberry is one of those siberian things that are rare here.  My nurseryman friend got me all excited about them and then couldn't supply.  I am always trying something new. 

Offline BlueBee

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Re: R. H. Shumways
« Reply #3 on: January 09, 2013, 12:57:09 am »
I’ve seen those “honeyberry” plants in the catalogs for a few years now.  I’ve been tempted to try them, but I haven’t bought any yet.  I see them in my Miller nursery catalog and Farmer Seed catalog.  I could have sworn I’ve seen them in Gurney’s too, but I haven’t gotten any of their dozen’s of spring catalogs yet.  I’ve ordered from all 3 of those outfits before and don’t have any major complaints with any of them.  Looks like they want $12 to $18 per plant in my catalogs.  Seems a little high priced, indeed.  Maybe they're hard to propagate or under patent protection?  

Offline BlueBee

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Re: R. H. Shumways
« Reply #4 on: January 09, 2013, 01:03:31 am »
I bought some beach plums from Millers 2 springs ago.  They didn’t do much the first summer, but boy did they ever take off last summer.  Kind of didn’t expect a “beach” plum to grow well in Michigan, but they sure have.  I’m anxious to see what they taste like if I have fruit this year.  Late frost killed many cherry blossoms last year.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prunus_maritima

Offline Duane

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Re: R. H. Shumways
« Reply #5 on: January 26, 2014, 12:50:25 pm »
I bought a couple of honeyberry plants, wanting to try something new.  Blueberries won't grow here in alkaline clay soils.  My pH meter shows about 8 on our land.  I know one plant has died.  I'm not sure a plant I have left is a honeyberry or another different berry plant I was trying.  Its been 2-3 years and is still less than a foot tall, barely hanging on to life.  I carry water to it, weed around it, but it's been dry here.  Not sure if the conditions are a good test, but I hesitate with purchasing any more until I hear someone having luck with them in alkaline soils.  They look nice in the catalogs, though.

Offline buzzbee

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Re: R. H. Shumways
« Reply #6 on: February 02, 2014, 03:28:43 pm »
Unless you are planning on buying a lot of honeyberry plants I don't think you will get a "specific' honey from them. But Shumway has been a staple catalog around these parts for a long time.

Offline Vance G

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Re: R. H. Shumways
« Reply #7 on: February 02, 2014, 04:04:59 pm »
I see gardeners are coming back to life and resurrecting year old posts.  I ended up buying four plants from Starks last spring.  They came and were ridiculous little tissue cuttings that had never seen the outside of a green house!  I potted them and kept them on my deck in the shade and in at night until they became real plants and got them into the sun and by fall they were six or eight inches tall with several branches from main stem.  I will put them in a bigger pot and keep them under close supervision this year too and plant at thaw 2015.  They are in the shade and kept wet and frozen for the winter.

A friend got better plants and at a bit better price from honeyberryusa.com  This outfit specializes in low zone fruit.  Good reading if at all interested in Honeyberries or other hardy small fruit.

I am excited this spring about espaliering more apple, pear and apricot trees every place I can sneak one in.  Good info on youtube about that and great plan for  frustrated farmers with no acreage.  I may take out my small fishpond that I  have gotten bored with.  It is too small to keep fish in the winter and my bigger pond is probably enough anyway.  It doesn't get enough care to be beautiful so I guess it will get filled and made fruitful. 

Offline buzzbee

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Re: R. H. Shumways
« Reply #8 on: February 02, 2014, 06:36:53 pm »
 Guess it slipped by it was jan 13 not 14.  :-D
Did your friend notice much bee activity on his honeyberries?


I have a small pond that I overwinter fish in. the pumps go off at first freeze. I don't keep koi or anything, just the comet feeder fish you can get for 2 bucks a dozen. I have had the fish survive almost completely frozen. I have cat o nine tails and water hyacinths in the pond. I do not feed the fish so they do not outgrow the natural food sources of bugs,slugs and larvae. I have a very small pond that survives well,it freezes over early on the North side of the house in the shade and thaws late. Rarely does it even have the top open from December to March. This is the real small one that freezes up all winter.



Offline Vance G

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Re: R. H. Shumways
« Reply #9 on: February 03, 2014, 12:52:26 am »
I have a bigger pond I keep koi in all winter in the front yard.  It is 21 feet long and 16 feet at the widest.  Mostly about 2 feet deep with a marianas trench at the narrow end.  I thought that was where the plants would need to be sunk for the winter, but found that not necessary.  It currently has about 5 inches of ice over most of it.  The ice was 10" thick but I run a pump and the water flows down a little waterfall and melted ice most of January.  It is nice but the trees have grown since I put it in and it is too shaded for the water lilies to do really well.  It is really enjoyable and takes maybe six hours a year to maintain.  In the winter, the fish live as long as I keep some open water about 3 days out of seven.  I think the decomposition gas needs to get out more than 02 in.   I need to go shut off the pump as it is building ice right now.  We are going to have a ten day stretch way below zero on average and if you ran the pump constantly, I think you would freeze the pond clear to the bottom. 

Offline buzzbee

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Re: R. H. Shumways
« Reply #10 on: February 03, 2014, 07:50:17 am »
My pond has frozen to the bottom,but for some reason the fish survive this state. Perhaps  a hibernation low metabolism  mechanism?

Offline Vance G

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Re: R. H. Shumways
« Reply #11 on: February 03, 2014, 12:24:18 pm »
My little pond in the back freezes to the bottom and the fish do not survive that condition.   Since we are headed to -27 next day or so, I wonder if I will survive being frozen to the bottom! 

Offline buzzbee

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Re: R. H. Shumways
« Reply #12 on: February 05, 2014, 09:42:03 am »
I don't know Vance, but I'd be sure to have on my long under britches! :-D 

Offline Duane

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Re: R. H. Shumways
« Reply #13 on: February 23, 2014, 01:05:29 pm »
Guess it slipped by it was jan 13 not 14.  :-D
Ooops!  I saw the last posts were January, 2013 is recent, so it must be a current thread.   And I was feeling so smug for not having written 2013 on a check this year, yet.


But still, it would be nice to know of someone who had grown honeyberries and if they were any good.  I didn't get the idea that anyone was planting them for honey, but that they were planting them for delicious berries.  So the dream is.  Doesn't sound like the reality has been realized much.

Offline Vance G

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Re: R. H. Shumways
« Reply #14 on: February 23, 2014, 10:04:15 pm »
Honeyberries are haskaps in Japan and something else in Asia and marketeers named them honeyberries for U.S and Canadian markets.  The University of Saskatchewan has done a lot of work developing them.  They are a blueberry type berry but apparently not the same taste.  Honeyberryusa.com sells them and has good tutorial material.  The ones I bought last year were so tiny that I doubt they will bloom this year yet but should the next. 

Offline Edgy

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Re: R. H. Shumways
« Reply #15 on: March 01, 2014, 12:58:34 am »
blueberries will not grow here.  You can't add enough acid to get acid soil here.   the honeyberry is one of those siberian things that are rare here.  My nurseryman friend got me all excited about them and then couldn't supply.  I am always trying something new. 
I have 7 blueberry plants on my side of the mountain.  They've produced very well over the past 6 yrs.

Offline Vance G

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Re: R. H. Shumways
« Reply #16 on: March 02, 2014, 10:03:23 pm »
Edgy how are you modifying the soil?  People here sometimes grow them in pots successfully.

Offline Edgy

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Re: R. H. Shumways
« Reply #17 on: March 02, 2014, 10:14:56 pm »
I use 33% fresh sawdust 33% sand and 33% topsoil.  I also spread my used coffee grounds around their base all year long.  They are in the ground and they do very well.  I also rake in 4 inches of fresh sawdust at their base each spring.

 

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