Vaccinium myrtillus
Blueberry
Common names: Bilberry, Whortleberry
Photo: Amédée Masclef · Public Domain · Source
Description
The blueberry supplies aromatic blue berries but needs acidic, humus-rich soil to feel at home. Cultivated blueberries bear larger fruits, while the small wild bilberry tastes more intense. In a pot with rhododendron soil it also succeeds on chalky garden ground.
Care instructions
Plant it in spring (April, week 15) in acidic soil with a pH below 5 and water with low-lime rainwater where possible. Mulch with bark or conifer needles, which keeps things acidic and moist. Only after several years cut out old shoots in winter (February, week 8) to rejuvenate the plant.
Soil & site
Soil pH
Soil type
humus-rich, well-drained, moist, lime-avoiding, lean
Feeding
Light feeder
Months
Mar, May
Propagation
Methods
- Cuttings
- Layering
- Division
- From seed
Companion planting
Companion planting is partly traditional gardening lore. Where the reason is known, it is given.
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Varieties
8 varieties‘Bluecrop’
*‚Bluecrop’* is the most widely cultivated bilberry worldwide and a reliable choice for your garden.
‘Bluegold’
You will find that *‚Bluegold’* stays compact and bushy, making it suitable for smaller gardens or a large container.
‘Brigitta Blue’
Brigitta Blue extends your blueberry season well into late summer.
‘Duke’
*‚Duke’* opens the blueberry season for you: it ripens early and delivers a large, uniform harvest in a short time.
‘Elliott’
Elliott is the classic late variety and closes your blueberry season when others have long been harvested.
‘Goldtraube’
*‚Goldtraube’* is a proven old selection that has been a staple in DACH gardens for generations.
‘Patriot’
Patriot is especially frost hardy and copes better with heavier, wetter soils than many other varieties, good for rough locations at your place.
‘Spartan’
Spartan is considered one of the best tasting of the early varieties and carries very large, light blue berries.
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From the magazine
Planting blueberries: why acidic soil decides everything
Blueberries are wonderfully easy once one single thing is right: the soil has to be acidic. Here's why that matters, how to get it right, and why a container is the smartest choice for most gardens.
Peat-Free Gardening: Why It Matters and How to Do It
Why peat is a drained bog in your flower pot, which alternatives actually work, and how to keep even blueberries happy with no peat at all.
Lingonberry: native evergreen nibble for the acidic bed
The lingonberry is an evergreen groundcover with red, spicy berries and bears twice a year. How to give it the acidic soil the blueberry loves too.
Acidic soil for berries: site, substrate and iron chlorosis
Blueberry, lingonberry and cranberry need acidic soil. How to lower the pH, water lime-free and recognise iron chlorosis in time.
Berries in pots and on the balcony: almost any berry in a container
Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries: almost any berry thrives in a pot. How to choose substrate and pot size, water lime-free and protect the roots in winter.
Serviceberry: ornamental shrub and secret nibble
The serviceberry offers four seasons of beauty plus blueberry-sweet fruit. An easy-care, robust shrub for any garden and the edible hedge.
Where to get this plant
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