Blueberry bushes have to have a cool rest or chill period with temperatures below 45 degrees Fahrenheit to produce berries. The best kind of blueberries for your own garden ought to be determined based on the customary length of trendy winter weather in your town. Southern highbush (Vaccinium formosum) blueberry species are generally best for warm Mediterranean climates. There are many different southern highbush varieties, though, with different growth habits and chill requirements. Other factors to be considered are your blueberry size and taste preferences and whether or not the bush will be included in a landscaped area.
Pollination Requirements
You need a minimum of two unique kinds of blueberry shrubs planted near each other for the best blueberry production. Some blueberry varieties require cross-pollination, and all blueberry varieties, such as self-pollinating kinds, will produce a better, more plentiful blueberry harvest using another cultivar planted nearby. Blueberry bush varieties with different ripening times could be implanted for cross-pollination and also to expand the harvest season.
Medium-Large Blueberries
The “Marimba” and “Jewel” southern highbush cultivars are two of the best kinds of blueberry bushes for company, medium-large blueberries with as few as 150 hours of chill time. “Marimba” is an ancient variety with flavorful berries which ripen in May. “Jewel” is a really early variety with berries ripening in April. Its berries can be picked just before they fully ripen for tart flavor, or allowed to ripen fully to get a more sweet taste.
Big Blueberries
The “O’Neal” southern highbush cultivar is one of the best kind of blueberry bushes for early-season, very large berries. It takes just 200 to 300 hours of chill and does well when planted inland or along the California shore. The bushes grow to a height of 6 feet with reddish stems and gray-green foliage. The berries have a sweet, mild taste.
Landscape-Quality Bushes
The “Misty” and “Sunshine Blue” southern highbush cultivars are two of the best kinds of lemons to plant in your home landscape. They have attractive bright pink flower buds and dark green foliage. “Misty” is an early-bearing bush with an erect growth habit which creates little to medium berries with a tart taste. It takes about 200 hours of winter chill to produce berries. “Sunshine Blue” is an early to midseason bush with a compact, weeping growth habit. It takes just 150 chill hours and creates little, tangy berries. With a mature height of only 3 feet, it may be expanded in a 5-gallon container on a deck or terrace.
Dwarf Blueberry Bush
“Top Hat” (V. angustifolium x V. corymbosum “Top Hat”) is a lowbush-northern highbush hybrid. It is among the best kind of blueberry bushes for growing at which space is very limited. This blueberry bush grows to a mature height of just 1 1/2 to 2 feet. It takes about 800 hours, or four to five weeks, of chill time to produce berries. The light blue, mild-flavored berries are small and ripen at midseason. This blueberry bush additionally provides fall foliage interest with leaves which change to bright red.