Marc, I read this upon review and though of your post. Re: Vegetative cuttings and timing from book Blueberry Culture... "Since plant development doesn't proceed at the same rate in different locations, cuttings taken at a certain date would be at different stages of maturity. The appropriate stage for taking cuttings is when secondary growth from lateral buds first appears in new shoots (Webber, 1954, Johnston, 1930) This period occurs as the first fruit are ripening in michigan.(July1) Although cuttings taken as early as June 10 have shown a higher proportion of rooting than cuttings taken later, it takes longer for these plants to reach a size suitable for field planting, and are more suceptible to field injury" Eck, Childers, 1966 I'm not sure why they wouldn't do as well, maybe their cambium system isn't as durable, developed/lignified?

I checked out our yard a few minutes ago, and found a crocus beginning to bloom, and a columbine that is beginning to leaf out. We have a number of daffodils that are about 6 inches high, no where near blooming yet. And our lawn is greening up nicely. So it is looking like a long, slow, spring. I picked up a three year old potted blueberry, Northland variety, today, & it is sitting outside on the back steps. It will be planted tomorrow. I checked out our everbearing raspberry plants, and I could not find any sign of leafing out yet. Prairie smoke, Geum triflorum, is green, but not yet blooming. I have a package of Liatris(prairie blazing star) roots that will be set out this week. They are supposed to be dug under about 2 inches down. Earlier today, I was able to mix up some Schultz' Plant Food-acidic formula, for the blueberry shrubs, and apply this without any sign of run-off, so it seems that the ground is free of frost, finally.

Gooseberries can be invasive if ignored, but if you prune them occasionally for fruit they should not cause too many problems. They do sucker at the tips of branches--posibly that would be more problematic with your sandy soil--we have clay in my area. They also like some soil acidity, but don't seem too demanding about that. My Pixwell gooseberry bushes form an arching mound about chest high. They are easy to propagate, so you would find it simple to expand your hedge. You could just prune the inner side facing your garden and use the old outer branches as your hedge. Their branches are thorny, but stronger and more flexible than the canes of raspberries and blackberries. They make a fairly attractive, impenetrable shrub. Additionally, they are very flexible regarding lighting. I agree that rugosa roses, with attractive hips, would also be very nice. Hansa grows rather large and is quite vigorous, but could be kept pruned; or you could choose one of the smaller, less vigorous ones. Rugosas are supposed to like sandy soil, and even grow on beaches. There are some older varieties, such as Frau Dagmar Hartopp (possibly mispelled by me) which have been popular for ages.

First, you need to find out if California allows the Ribes genus to be imported (if buying from out of state). The Ribes genus is the obligatory alternate host of White Pine Blister Rust. When white pine was a valuable timber tree (not as true now), many states passed laws against allowing Ribes to be brought into their state. [In truth - many Ribes do not naturally get WPBR, however Black Current tends to be the most susceptible, but varieties resistant to it have been bred]. Two, Will Ribes grow in your area? I noted that you are zone 9. Generally Ribes are rated 4-7/8 (one of the most cold hardy of fruits). The further south - the more shade they need. However I did find one Southerly Currant that is rated 7-9 (Pulsborough Scarlet flowering currant - see link) Three, none of the Ribes/Currants produce 'sweet' fruit. Gooseberries - Generally extremely thorny, sweet/tart fruits. Fruit is like a firm grape in texture. There is one or two thornless varieties. Red/White currants - very seed/extremely tart fruit. Best used for jelly. But makes more of a jelly for cooking (i.e. glaze etc.) rather than something you'd enjoy on toast (unless you don't like sweet jelly/jam on your toast). Black Currant - Some people like them raw, but I always thought they tasted like dirt. Very good/powerful aroma cooked. Supposedly high in anti-oxidants. Bigelow's (I think) used to sell a black currant tea made from the leaves, it had a powerful (good) aroma (you could smell it easily through the box's plastic wrapping, the tea had a good aroma, but the tea had no flavor (would be good mixed with something else). Stay away from the varieties Consort/Crusade - WPBR resistant, but nothing else to recommend them. Some of the newer varieties out of Europe are supposed to be good. Gooseberry/Black currant hybrids - Famous variety is known as "jostaberry". Huge bush, moderately productive, not much Blackcurrent flavor, but not as good as a gooseberry. The newer Orus out of Germany is supposedly much better - it does however have some thorns. Here is a link that might be useful: Raintree Currant Listings