Blueberry Blossoms

Common name: Blueberry

Botanical name: Vaccinium corymbosum

What it is: A medium to tall shrub with thick, glossy, green leaves and clusters of white, bell-shaped flowers that develop into the familiar blueberries that are a favorite for everything from muffins to pancakes and other delicious desserts. Blueberries are a native to Pennsylvania and can be found growing wild in many parts of the state.

Size: Northern highbush blueberries can grow 5 feet around and reach 6 to 7 feet high, but can be pruned to maintain at a more compact size. Other cultivars include southern highbush, half-high, lowbush, and wild blueberry types. Popular highbush varieties include: ‘Duke,’ ‘Patriot,’ ‘Bluegold,’ ‘Reka,’ ‘Jersey,’ ‘Darrow,’ ‘Rubel’ and ‘Elliott.’

Where to use: Makes a great ornamental and edible hedge along the side of the home or it can be planted out in the open. Blueberries prefer an acidic soil, so amend by adding peat before planting and side dress with an acidic fertilizer as needed to maintain acidity.

Plant different varieties together for improved pollination, and mix early, mid, and late season varieties for longer production.

Why I like it: Blueberries are an easy to care for fruit that makes a terrific addition to the home garden landscape. They offer year-round color from the white blossoms during spring, to the blue berries of summer, the red, orange, or yellow leaves displayed in autumn, and woody branches that display a tinge of red or yellow right through the winter months.

Blueberries are high in antioxidants and great for use in all sorts of tasty treats from pies and cobblers, to pancakes and waffles. But your biggest challenge may be to resist eating them all right as you harvest them from the bush.