Along with cherries (see Cherry Blossom Time) and a host of wildflowers, the nagoon berries are blooming in the dooryard.
Nagoon berries may be the most sought-after berry in Alaska. Kind of like a trailing raspberry, nagoons grow in ground cover height plants that generally offer up a single berry. They’re not very common, especially in Southeast Alaska. Those who find patches tend to keep them secret for the most part.
Nagoon berry blossoms in the “homestead” dooryard (Photo: Mark A. Zeiger).
So, it’s pretty special to have a bunch of them growing right here in our yard, a few steps from the front door. It’d be even more special if they ever bore fruit, but as far as we know, they never have. They thrive in all other ways. The patch expands each year as more and more plants grow. Their lovely blossoms brighten our home at this time of year. But, for some unknown reason, we don’t get any berries.
I guess, since none of us have ever tasted a nagoon berry, we don’t know what we’re missing. For us, the blossoms are the main attraction until something changes, if it ever does, and we start getting fruit from them.