Much like strawberries and raspberries, blueberries are a beloved fruit native to North America and prized for their sweet-tart flavor, health benefits, and versatility in culinary uses. With various types adapted to different climates and growing conditions, there's a blueberry plant suitable for just about every garden.
Northern Highbush Blueberries are among the most commonly grown and are known for their delicious flavor, larger berry sizes, and adaptability to cooler climates. They include varieties like Bluecrop, Jersey, and Duke, each with unique characteristics, such as berry size, flavor profile, and harvesting time. Their Southern Highbush cousins, bred for warmer, more temperate climates, have also gained popularity with varieties like Legacy, Jubilee, and O'Neal. These varieties are heat-tolerant and best suited to regions with mild winters and hot, humid summers.
In contrast, Lowbush Blueberries, often referred to as "wild" blueberries, are native to northeastern North America and are known for their intense flavor and smaller berry size. While individual lowbush blueberry plants may differ genetically, they are not usually distinguished by named varieties like highbush blueberries. However, certain lowbush cultivars like Top Hat and Brunswick have been developed for home gardening.
For those in the southern United States, Rabbiteye Blueberries offer heat tolerance and large, delicious berries. Popular varieties include Tifblue, Powderblue, and Brightwell, each providing a reliable yield and adaptability to southern climates. Rabbiteye varieties are more heat-tolerant than highbush types and have a slightly longer ripening season.
Last but not least, the Half-high Blueberries are hybrid varieties bred for extreme cold hardiness and compact growth habit. Combining the fruit quality of the Northern Highbush with the cold-resistance of the Lowbush, these plants offer the best of both worlds. Northcountry, Northsky, and Polaris are just a few examples of these compact, cold-hardy blueberries perfect for small gardens or containers.
The world of blueberries is vast and varied. Whether you live in a cool northern climate or a hot southern region, there's a blueberry type and variety ready to thrive in your garden.
Northern Highbush Blueberries are widely grown due to their delicious flavor, larger berry sizes, and adaptability to cooler climates. Here are some varieties:
Bluecrop: Known for its large, sweet berries and reliable yield, Bluecrop is one of the most widely grown blueberry varieties.
Jersey: An old favorite, Jersey produces medium-sized berries with a sweet, rich flavor. It is known for its late-season harvest and cold hardiness.
Duke: Duke offers an early harvest of large, firm, and light blue berries. It is a highly productive variety and cold hardy.
Patriot: Noted for its large, flavorful berries, Patriot also boasts excellent cold hardiness and a robust root system that adapts to different soil types.
Chandler: Renowned for its exceptionally large berries and prolonged harvest, Chandler provides a steady supply of sweet, juicy blueberries throughout the season.
Spartan: Spartan is cherished for its big, high-quality berries and delectable taste, but it requires well-drained, acidic soil to thrive.
Blueray: Blueray is a popular choice for its large, sweet berries and vibrant fall foliage. It's also a reliable and heavy producer.
Elliott: One of the latest ripening varieties, Elliott provides a long picking season and small to medium, firm berries with a mildly sweet flavor.
Brigitta: Brigitta is known for its late-season, high-quality berries and good shelf life. It's also appreciated for its high yield.
Sunrise: As its name implies, Sunrise offers an early harvest of medium-sized, sweet-tasting berries.
Southern Highbush Blueberries have been developed to thrive in warmer, more temperate climates. Here are some popular varieties:
Legacy: This variety produces a large, sweet berry with a slightly tart flavor. It's known for its prolonged harvest season.
Jubilee: Jubilee is appreciated for its dependable yield of medium-sized, sweet berries. It's also popular for its attractive fall foliage.
Misty: Known for its early, heavy crops, Misty provides large, sweet, and firm berries. It also showcases attractive pink and white spring flowers.
Sunshine Blue: This variety is popular for home gardens because of its compact size and ornamental appeal. Sunshine Blue offers medium-sized, sweet and tangy berries.
Sharpblue: Sharpblue is a reliable, widely adapted variety, producing firm, good-sized berries over an extended period.
Southmoon: Southmoon is a late-midseason variety prized for its large, flavorful berries. It performs best in areas with mild winters.
Star: As its name suggests, Star shines for its large, light blue, and exceptionally sweet berries. It's an early-season variety.
Reveille: Reveille delivers an early harvest of medium-sized, light blue, and mildly sweet berries. It's noted for its adaptability and disease resistance.
Camellia: This new variety is valued for its firm, large, and exceptionally sweet berries. Camellia is a late-season variety with an extended harvest.
Lowbush Blueberries, also known as wild blueberries, are native to northeastern North America and known for their intense flavor and smaller berry size. Here are a couple of well-known varieties:
Top Hat: A dwarf variety that only reaches about a foot in height, Top Hat is perfect for small spaces and container gardening. It produces small, intensely flavored berries.
Putte: Originating from Sweden, Putte offers an abundance of small, tasty berries. It's a compact variety that's suitable for colder climates.
Burgundy: This variety gets its name from the striking burgundy color its leaves turn in the fall. Its small berries are deep blue and full of flavor.
Brunswick: This low-growing variety is known for its sweet, light blue berries and bright red fall foliage.
Sunshine Blue: Although technically a semi-dwarf hybrid, Sunshine Blue has characteristics that make it similar to lowbush varieties. It's compact, tolerant of a range of soil conditions, and produces small, tangy berries.
Rabbiteye Blueberries are native to the southern United States and are known for their heat tolerance and large berries. Here are several popular varieties:
Tifblue: This is the most universally grown Rabbiteye variety due to its reliable yield and adaptability. It produces medium to large berries that ripen mid-late season.
Powderblue: As the name suggests, this variety produces light blue, medium-sized berries. It ripens late in the season and has a high yield.
Brightwell: A variety known for its cold hardiness and adaptability, Brightwell produces large, light blue berries that are great for baking or fresh eating.
Climax: This variety is appreciated for its early ripening, making it one of the first Rabbiteye varieties to produce berries in the season. It offers a high yield of large, sweet berries.
Woodard: Known for its large and particularly sweet berries, Woodard is an early to mid-season variety.
Premier: Premier produces large, light blue berries with excellent flavor. It is a high-yielding, early ripening variety.
Centurion: This variety offers medium-sized, dark blue berries with a sweet flavor. It's known for its heavy yields and vigorous growth.
Baldwin: Baldwin is a late-season variety that produces medium-sized berries with a sweet-tart flavor. It is especially prized for its high yields.
Half-high Blueberries are hybrid varieties that have been bred for extreme cold hardiness and compact growth habit. They are a cross between Northern Highbush and Lowbush types, combining the fruit quality of the former with the cold resistance of the latter. Here are some popular Half-high Blueberry varieties:
Northcountry: A variety known for its sweet, wild flavor, Northcountry produces medium-sized berries and has a compact growth habit, making it excellent for small gardens or containers.
Northsky: The most cold hardy of all blueberries, Northsky can withstand temperatures as low as -45 degrees Fahrenheit. It produces small, intensely flavored berries.
Polaris: Early ripening, Polaris offers large, sweet, and light blue berries. It's known for its cold hardiness and compact size.
Chippewa: This variety is valued for its large, sweet berries and high yield. Chippewa is also known for its cold hardiness and compact growth habit.
Northblue: Northblue produces large, dark blue berries with an intense, wild flavor. It's a very cold-hardy variety with a compact growth habit.
St. Cloud: Named after the Minnesota city, St. Cloud is appreciated for its large, sweet berries and impressive cold hardiness.
Superior: As the name suggests, Superior is known for its high yield of large, high-quality berries. It's a late-maturing variety that thrives in cold climates.
