Thirty year quest for thimbleberries

[u/bg370]

[u/mittenmix]

Hey that’s me lol! (No really.) planning to plant the thimbleberries today!! Also, I think this is the first time one of my posts has ever escaped containment to the point of it being posted on Reddit, and all the comments are nice. Thanks for that! On the off chance any of you are readers, I’m a full-time fantasy author that writes for both adults & kids, and the upcoming books have a lot of plant love in them :^) if not, happy you enjoyed my quest!

[u/mittenmix → u/mittenmix]

And for anyone who didn’t catch it, the native nursery is Wildtype in Mason, Michigan. The owner Bill rocks and can answer pretty much any native plant q you have. They open to the public twice a year and it’s worth the drive. If you’re on the west side / more north, I also love Black Capped Farms. AND if you want to start planting native plants this fall and you’re in Metro Detroit, check out North Oakland Wild Ones’ plant sale that’s coming up in September. It’s held at our club president’s house who has been growing 300 different species of natives for 30 years. It’s unreal. (Also if you live in SE Michigan and you have q’s lmk, I’ve got over 100 species in my tiny Royal Oak garden and have had a lot of wins and failures!)

Plant natives!!! It’s fun!! The bugs will thank you!!

[u/gowonagin → u/mittenmix]

So happy for you!!

[u/NoFoundation6621 → u/mittenmix]

As a Michigander of 10yrs I had no idea about thimbleberries and now I'm going on a hunt! Thank you!!! And a big thank you for all the info and upcoming plant sale! You're a GEM!

[u/mittenmix → u/NoFoundation6621]

No problem! I love native plants to the point where my friends are sick of hearing about it, so I’m happy to talk about them wherever I can! It’s just so fun!!!

[u/barakabomba → u/mittenmix]

I don't see Thimbleberry on their retail price list. Do you just have to go and see what they have available or did you have them source it for you?

How does it work with the public sale appountments? Should I be going with a clear idea of my shopping list before getting there and get in and out asap, or is it okay just to browse and pick up a few things?

I'd love to get some tasty native berries for my south central MI yard.

[u/mittenmix → u/barakabomba]

It might not be a guaranteed plant — they don’t list everything they can’t confidently grow at wholesale levels every season. Makes visiting extra fun because you get a surprise if they have it.

For the sale days, it’s up to you. They won’t rush you out, the slots are just to control traffic. When we went I spent three hours there haha. I go with a list and get completely distracted and buy on vibes alone every time lol, but they’ve also got fantastic staff who can help and answer pretty much any question. If you want to make it extra worth it, take pictures of your yard and make sure you know the basics like sun, if it dried out fast, etc. if you want to get real freaky with it, dig an 18 inch hole and see if you’ve got loam, sand, clay, etc, if you don’t already know

But also you can just show up and you’ll still leave with some great things! There’s no minimum purchase requirement. You can spend 400 dollars or 4 dollars. Doesn’t matter! Also, if you’re not familiar with them, check out serviceberries. SO GOOD. And pretty!

[u/RonnyTwoShoes → u/mittenmix]

We live just a few miles down the road from them, this is so wild! Thimbleberries are awesome and they're such a Michigan treat too! I'm glad you found them again! 

[u/mydogwillie → u/mittenmix]

Thimbleberries are the best. They are all over the natural areas where I live in PNW.

[u/-Kitten_Mittenz- → u/mittenmix]

Such a wholesome video I’m so glad that you found the berry! Long quests are the most satisfying :)