Beautiful Blueberry Blooms!

It's a great time of year to get a couple blueberry plants in the ground! Not only do they produce delicious fruit, but they have attractive blooms in the spring. Here's one from my garden, just about to bloom:

Blueberries are acid loving shrubs that grow really well in our Southeast climate and native soil. Their roots are in the upper 6-8” of the soil. If you're planting a blueberry bush, make sure to mulch around the base of each plant to keep moisture in the root zone.

Plant new blueberry shrubs in the early spring or fall. After planting, cut the plant back by 1/3 and do not allow it to flower or fruit the 1st year. I know it's tough to sacrifice a year of delicious harvested fruit... but trust me, your discipline will be rewarded. This technique will ensure the plant is well established and able to support fruit set in subsequent years (a "fruit set" is the collection of flowers on a plant that mature into healthy fruit).

For Southeastern homeowners, I recommend Rabbiteye blueberries, Vaccinium ashei. They flower late, protecting them from frosts, and are vigorous growers. A few choice cultivars: ‘Climax’, ‘Premier’, ‘Alapaha’ and ‘Ochlockonee’.

Blueberries require cross-pollination for good fruit set. This means at least 2 (if not 3) different cultivars should be planted in close proximity to ensure good pollination. Putting them anywhere in the same yard should do the trick.

An attractive shrub for the home landscape, blueberries possess beautiful blue-green leaves that turn red and yellow in the fall.

Check back in July for blueberry recipes, when the berries are ripe and ready for picking!