Vaccinium Species, American Blueberry, Highbush Blueberry, Tall Blueberry

The scarlet fall foliage is luminous and long-lasting, climaxing very late, after most other leaves are down.

This species...Read More is a poor self-pollinator. Plant at least two different cultivars with overlapping bloom times together if you want decent fruit production.

Performance is best in soils with a pH below 5.0. If you're adjusting soil pH, use elemental sulfur or iron sulphate rather than aluminum sulphate---aluminum can easily accumulate to toxic levels in the soil. Better yet, send a soil sample for testing (in the US to your state's USDA Cooperative Extension Service).

Not only is Highbush Blueberry a wonderful crop plant, grown in fields of acid soil as in southern New Jersey, southwest Michigan, the Ca...Read Morerolinas, and other places, but it makes a handsome ornamental shrub with a neat, clean habit; fantastic red fall color, pretty little white urn-shaped flowers in spring, pretty foliage, and smooth, reddish stems showing in winter. The birds love its healthy berries also. The only problem is that is must have a sandy or silty, acid soil of pH 4 up to no more than 6.5 at the most in a sunny or partly sunny location. My yard has a clay soil that is barely acid, so I have not been able to grow them in the ground. However, I planted two dwarf cultivars in a big pot on my deck and treated the potting soil with iron sulfate/sulfur to make the potting mix more acid about pH 5 so they are doing well for several years.

This is a nice blueberry that would be still nicer, if it had been a better self-pollinator. I grow mine in a pot and have seen few blueb...Read Moreerries. No highbush blueberrries anywhere near me. Otherwise, it looks nice in its container and has interesting autumn colours.

Blueberries are an excellent landscaping plant, providing the gardener with fairly disease-resistant, trouble-free fruit, on a plant that...Read More serves double-duty as an ornamental shrub, with beautiful blooms and nice foliage.

Blueberries do require an acidic soil, typically 5.5 pH or lower, and can take three to five years to begin bearing sizeable quantities of fruit. Protect ripening fruit from hungry birds with netting.

Highbush blueberries are the ones most commonly found in commercial production. They can achieve a height of 10' or more if not pruned properly. Most growers maintain a height of 6' or so for easier fruit gathering.

There are many named varieties, some of which will do better in colder climates; others in the warmer areas of the country.

Fruit is relatively large, typically about 1/2" to 1" in diameter. When harvesting the fruit for freezing, do not wash the fruit. Rather, lay it in a single layer in a shallow pan or baking sheet, pick over carefully and freeze. (Washing the fruit removes its waxy blush, which protects it from mold, and will cause the fruit to stick together.) When frozen, place in an airtight container or bag. To use, pour out the frozen fruit and rinse before adding to the recipe.