Sunshine Blue Blueberry
A dwarf variety with sweetly-flavored light blue fruit in summer and pretty bell-shaped flowers, bushy and compact with a lovely red fall color; blueberries need highly acidic soil, perfect drainage and mulch, plant with peat moss.Growing at a medium rate, to be about 4 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 feet. This variety requires a different selection of the same species growing nearby in order to set fruit.
Attracts,Birds
Brand,
Brand,
Botanical Name,
Bulb Size,
Bulbs per Package,
Deer Resistant,
Evergreen or Deciduous,Deciduous
Family,
Family Name,Blueberry
Flower Color,
Bloom Time,Mid Spring
Foliage Color,Green
Genus,
Genus Name,Vaccinium
Model,
Tomato Class,
Tomato Type,
Weather,
Days to Emerge,
Days to Maturity,
Edible,Yes
Features,
Growth Rate,Medium
Hardiness,
Hardiness Zone,4a
Harvest Season,Early Summer
Landscape Uses,Orchard
Light Needs,Full Sun, Partial Shade
Mature Height,4 feet
Mature Width,4 feet
Prune Time,Best If Not Pruned
Self Pollinating,Cultivar
Water Needs,Average to Moist
Waterwise,
Essentials for Success
For flourishing plants, use potting soil for potted plants or planting mix for garden beds paired with Root Zone starter fertilizer is the perfect duo to foster robust root growth and minimize transplant shock.
Details
Sunshine Blue Blueberry is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.
This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and usually looks its best without pruning, although it will tolerate pruning. It is a good choice for attracting birds to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.
Sunshine Blue Blueberry is recommended for the following landscape applications:
- Orchard/Edible Landscaping
Features
Sunshine Blue Blueberry is primarily grown for its highly ornamental fruit. It features an abundance of magnificent blue berries in early summer. It features dainty clusters of pink bell-shaped flowers with shell pink overtones hanging below the branches in mid spring, which emerge from distinctive red flower buds. It has bluish-green foliage throughout the season. The glossy oval leaves turn an outstanding red in the fall. The smooth tan bark adds an interesting dimension to the landscape.
This plant is primarily grown as an ornamental, but it's also valued for its edible qualities. The round sweet berries are most often used in the following ways:
- Fresh Eating
- Cooking
- Baking
- Preserves
Care
Planting & Growing
Sunshine Blue Blueberry will grow to be about 4 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 4 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 30 years. This variety requires a different selection of the same species growing nearby in order to set fruit.
This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is very fussy about its soil conditions and must have sandy, acidic soils to ensure success, and is subject to chlorosis (yellowing) of the leaves in alkaline soils. It is quite intolerant of urban pollution, therefore inner city or urban streetside plantings are best avoided, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selection of a native North American species.
