Cultivars to Select
If you only want one patio blueberry, make sure to check whether the cultivar you are purchasing is self pollinating.
While most northern highbush and some southern highbush cultivars are self fertile, placing another variety nearby that blooms at a similar time allows for cross pollination. This usually results in bigger fruit, and larger yields.
Dwarf varieties work great as patio and balcony container plants, but if you have a little more room or want to create a hedge or screen, taller varieties work well too.
Jelly Bean
The Bushel and Berry™ collection of berry cultivars are compact, and self pollinating, so they make great container choices.
Named for the fruit that tastes as if it’s been sweetened, ‘Jelly Bean®’ is a dwarf northern highbush cultivar that grows to one by two feet and is hardy in Zones 4-8, but note that it requires over 1,000 chill hours.
‘Jelly Bean’
From the Bushel and Berry™ series, ‘Jelly Bean®’ (aka V. corymbosum ‘ZF06-179’) produces high yields and features year-round foliage.
You can find plants in one- or three-gallon containers available at Nature Hills Nursery.
Midnight Cascade
Remember that crazy hanging basket idea I mentioned earlier?
‘Midnight Cascade’ (V. corymbosum ‘FC12-187’) is the perfect cultivar for it, another northern highbush option from the Bushel and Berry™ series.
It has a unique trailing and spilling habit and grows to only one and a half to two feet tall and wide.
‘Midnight Cascade’
Hardy in Zones 5-9, this variety needs 450 chill hours, and is a high yielding cultivar.
Find yours in a one-gallon basket at Nature Hills Nursery.
Northsky
As its name suggests, this variety, a hybrid of V. corymbosum and the wild lowbush V. angustifolium, is very cold hardy and will grow happily in Zones 3-7.
‘Northsky’ grows from two to four feet high and wide and needs over 800 chill hours.
‘Northsky’
Though yields can be quite small, the taste of these berries is reminiscent of the wild variety.
‘Northsky’ is available in one-gallon containers at Nature Hills Nursery.
Patriot
Another northern highbush type, ‘Patriot’ is a popular choice for both containers and in-ground plantings. It grows from four to eight feet tall and three to five feet wide.
‘Patriot’
And, hardy in Zones 3-7, ‘Patriot’ needs 800 to 1,000 chill hours. It’ll produce a lot of delicious berries for you.
Find dormant bare roots as well as live plants in three- or six-gallon containers at Nature Hills Nursery.
Peach Sorbet
This northern highbush cultivar (also known as ‘ZF06-043’ ), also from Bushel and Berry™, displays pastel leaf colors and is very small, only growing to one and a half feet high and two feet wide.
‘Peach Sorbet’
It is hardy in Zones 5-10, requires only 300 or less chill hours, and is high yielding.
Find ‘Peach Sorbet®’ in one-gallon pots available at Nature Hills Nursery.
Pink Icing
Hardy in Zones 5-10 and requiring 500 chill hours, ‘Pink Icing®’ (aka ‘ZF06-079’), another northern highbush variety from the Bushel and Berry™ series, will grow three feet high and four feet wide.
‘Pink Icing’
It produces a moderate yield, and features colorful foliage with streaks of pink in the springtime for added ornamental value.
You can find ‘Pink Icing®’ in one-gallon containers available at Nature Hills Nursery.
Sunshine Blue
On the opposite end of the spectrum from ‘Northsky,’ this southern highbush cultivar is hardy in Zones 5-10 and needs a mere 150 chill hours. It grows three to four feet tall and wide, and has moderate yields.
‘Sunshine Blue’
Also well named, ‘Sunshine Blue’ loves the sun and heat of southern California, so this is an excellent choice for warm climates!
You can find ‘Sunshine Blue’ in one- or two-gallon pots available at Nature Hills Nursery.
Maintenance
Prune mature plants in late February or March to maintain the perfect shape and desired size. Remove any dead or diseased twigs and branches.