Question
I have had a toyon shrub for 4 years. It has never flowered or developed berries and I have always assumed this is because it doesn't get enough sun. {I am in the Twin Peaks area} However this spring we took down a tree and the toyon received significantly more sun and it did flower heavily but still no berries. Do you think berries are a lost cause on this shrub?
Charlene
San Francisco
Answer
I would not give up hope on your Toyon. Getting it more sun so it would bloom was half the battle. I believe the problem was a lack of pollinators. The freeze we had last winter killed many beneficial insects. As well, the bee population has been compromised by one disaster or another for close to 10 years now. It is also possible that the young berries aborted early in the season right after flowering. We had so little rain this past season, many unirrigated plants set poor fruit crops.
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