Highbush Blueberry
Vaccinium corymbosum
Quarts of berries by year three, bee-loud May bloom, scarlet fall color, and red winter stems. Feeds you and the wildlife in return for sun.
Typically 1 quart–3 gal · $17–$85 · final price at pickup
- Thu, Aug 138 AM – 4 PM
- Fri, Aug 148 AM – 4 PM
- Sat, Aug 158 AM – 2 PM
Feeds the whole yard. you get the blueberries, the birds get the rest, and the bumblebees get the nectar.
Highbush blueberry is the rare plant that works harder than you do. Plant two or more together, and by year three you're getting quarts of berries. The birds are getting quarts more. The white bell-shaped flowers in May are among the most bee-productive blooms in the native landscape; bumblebees specifically evolved with blueberry and are its most effective pollinators. Watching a bumblebee work a blueberry bush in full bloom is one of those sounds you don't forget, the buzz-pollination vibrating loose pollen in a way no honeybee can match. The fall color is spectacular, deep red to scarlet and burgundy. The stems turn red in winter. This is a four-season plant that feeds you and the wildlife, puts on a color show twice a year, and asks for acidic soil and sun in return. Multiple cultivars are available for extended harvest windows.
A nursery-grown plant, ready for the ground.
Healthy, container-grown highbush blueberry propagated on-site at Hill House from regional genetics. Includes a one-page care card. We make every effort to supply plants as listed; occasionally we substitute a similar species of equal value.
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Average
- Mature size
- 6–12 ft · 6–10 ft wide
- Bloom time
- May
- Bloom color
- White
- USDA zones
- 4–7
- Family
- Ericaceae
- Native range
- Eastern North America from Nova Scotia to Florida, primarily moist acidic habitats
Care notes for highbush blueberry.
Requires acidic soil (pH 4.5-5.5). the single non-negotiable requirement. Mulch with pine bark or wood chips and soil acidification is usually sufficient. Full sun to part shade; full sun produces the most fruit. Plant at least two cultivars together for cross-pollination. Water consistently; blueberry roots are shallow and dry out quickly. Prune old canes to the ground in late winter to promote vigorous new fruiting growth.
Pairs well with these.
Same light, same soil, same wildlife. Janet's picks to plant alongside highbush blueberry.
Or skip the guesswork.
Curated packages bundle complementary species for an instant habitat. One reservation, one pickup day, a printed layout map.
Short on Space Package
For gardeners who have an abundance of passion but are short on space, this package features tidy, upright, clump-forming natives that behave and function well in small spaces.
Shade Bed Package
Ferns, sedges, and woodland natives that thrive under existing trees.
Birder’s Paradise Package
For the avid bird watchers and budding ornithologists in our community, the Birder’s Paradise Package consists of species that Hill House Nursery staff and longtime native plant advocates such as Doug Tallamy consider ‘premier bird garden plants’.