Takes The Cake Blueberry is a compact deciduous shrub with a controlled upright habit and heavy production of large, firm, sugary-sweet blueberries that flower late but ripen early. The elliptical light green foliage turns shades of yellow-orange in fall. Grows best with full sun and rich, moist acidic well-drained soils. Moderate chill requirement and 500-550 hours. While it can self fruit it should be planted with others to cross-pollinate to increase yield. The DownHome Harvest series has improved heat, disease, and pest resistance.
|
Type:
|
Shrub
|
|
Origins:
|
Southeast N. America; GA Native
|
|
Height:
|
4' - 6'
|
|
Spread:
|
3’ - 5'
|
|
Spacing:
|
4'
|
|
USDA Hardiness Zone:
|
7 - 9
|
|
Culture:
|
Full Sun, Part Sun
|
|
Bloom Color:
|
White
|
|
Season of Interest:
|
Spring, Summer, Fall
|
MAINTENANCE NEEDS: Medium Maintenance. Water regularly and mulch. Prune as needed in late winter. Chlorosis may occur in high PH soils. Blight, rot, anthracnose, canker, and mildew are occasional problems. Blueberry maggot, fruit worms, and spotted wing drosophila can damage the fruit. Mummy berry is a fungal disease that shrivels and dries the fruit- remove effected fruit immediately if spotted.
LANDSCAPE USES: Accents or Group Plantings, Borders, Naturalized Areas, Woodland Gardens, Rock Gardens, Hedges, Foundation Plantings, Edible Gardens, and Containers.
COMPANION PLANTS: Rhododendron, Camellia, Wax Myrtle
IMAGES: Photo by Bottoms Nursery, Vernon Rabbiteye Blueberry, (2) Tracy, blueberryhill0716, (3) Karen Rustad Tölva, Blueberries!
*As plants have ranges in appearance they may not appear as the images shown.
