If you're looking for an addition to your orchard that is low maintenance and disease resistant and can live for 30 to 40 years, look no further than the blueberry plant. Blueberries are easy to grow, and the sweet, juicy berries are chock-full of healthy vitamins and antioxidants.Blueberry plants are highly ornamental and can be used as landscape shrubs. They have bell-shaped flowers in the spring, handsome green foliage in the summer and vivid orange and crimson foliage in the fall. They can be planted in borders, as accent plants or to create hedges. And you don't need hundreds of plants to get an adequate crop: eight shrubs will produce enough fruit to feed a family of four.
Types and Varieties
There are many types of blueberry shrubs. Lowbush blueberries are low-growing shrubs that grow best in cold climates, especially in Maine. Most commercially grown lowbush blueberries are canned and used by bakers. In home gardens, the most popular blueberries are highbush blueberries and Southern rabbiteye blueberries. Shrubs of these two types grow in more temperate climates, and they can reach anywhere from 4' to 20' in height. (If you're wondering about the name, the berry itself is pink before it matures to blue and is said to resemble the red eyes of white rabbits.)
When you select blueberry shrubs, be sure to select one that is rated for your growing climate or zone. Most nurseries list a plant's growing zones in their catalogs, and nearly all plants you buy at retail outlets have a tag that shows the zone information.
If you don't already know your climate zone, look at a USDA Hardiness Zone map (www. usna.usda.gov/Hardzone/ushzmap.html ), which divides North America into zones based on minimum winter temperatures. You can also check with your local cooperative extension service to find out what zone you live in.
Note on the Cooperative Extension Services
You may have noticed that we often refer you to your local cooperative extension service for additional information. Why? Because extension service agents are local experts, the ones right in your own neighborhood. They understand your local climate and growing conditions better than anyone else.
If you don't know how to get in contact with your local extension service, here is a website that will help you easily locate the extension service nearest you: www. csrees.usda.gov/Extension/.
When you purchase blueberries, select at least two varieties for cross-pollination. Most blueberries need to be fertilized by the pollen of another variety in order to set fruit, and even those few blueberry varieties that are self-pollinating produce larger, better-quality berries if another variety is nearby.
