Blueberry

Vaccinium corymbosum

Compact deciduous shrub with edible berries and good autumn colour. Needs strongly acidic soil.

Hardiness ratings

Blueberry hardiness across the four zone systems
SystemRatingTemperature rangeHow to read it
USDA hardiness zone Zone 4–7 −34.4 °C to −12.2 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
RHS hardiness rating H7 down to −20 °C Plant needs at least this level of cold tolerance
Canadian plant hardiness zone Zone 4–7 −29 °C to −7 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone
Australian (ANBG) zone Zone 1–4 −15 °C to 5 °C Plant tolerates down to this zone

About Blueberry

Blueberries are unusual among garden fruit in demanding genuinely acidic soil — they evolved on acid, peaty ground and cannot take up iron efficiently above about pH 5.5, which is why they yellow and stall in ordinary garden soil and are so often grown in containers of ericaceous compost. They are North American in origin and were domesticated remarkably recently, largely in the twentieth century, so wild-harvested fruit is still commercially significant. Most varieties crop better with a second variety nearby, and the roots are fine, shallow and easily damaged by cultivation or drying out.

Growing notes

  • Often fails in alkaline soil regardless of climate
  • Most varieties need a second pollinator

Categories

Related plants

Cross-check Blueberry against your zones

Reference

Blueberry on Wikipedia