Sinfonian:

What are the buds? How about what are the plants? The one in the photo looks a little like a blueberry, but not quite. Whatever it is, don't jump the gun and take off the buds before you know what they are -- bloom buds or leaf buds.

The tulips will do no harm at all, and can be allowed to bloom. I have tulips around lots of my fruit trees.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA

Oops, sorry, I posted this last night late and seemed to forget to mention that yes indeed, it is a blueberry bush. Good call Don!

Thanks, I'll definitely let them go. I think I'm supposed to clip off most of the flowers so they don't produce fruit the first year in the ground despite the fact they were supposedly 3 year old plants before I planted them last October.

Thanks and sorry again about missing the most important part.

My view of the picking off the buds business is that is for commercial growers. For home growers the purpose of planting is to enjoy a little fruit so I say leave them on and enjoy a berry or two this year.

Scott

Same as with young apple trees the idea is that the new plant will waste energy producing a small amount of fruit that retards the development of the top. For several years after planting you pick the small, newly set fruits off so the top will enlarge as quickly as possible - and then start giving you full crops. You can really see on modern, productive, large-fruited blueberry bushes the stems bearing fruits going all twiggy and dwarfed. Foregoing that half-a-cup of fruit now will enable you to get much more later.