Many southern highbush are self fertile, however, the planting of multiple varieties is still recommended for improved fruit set. Blueberry Varieties. Read More. It is planted for its delicious edible fruit and beautiful fall color. Uniquely robust sweet flavor, highly rated in USDA trials. Blueberry Cultivars for the Pacific Northwest T here are five main types of blueberries grown in the United States: northern highbush, southern highbush, rabbiteye, lowbush, and half-high. Tag: blueberry varieties. Mechanical harvesters are available, but you need a large planting to justify the expense. Zones 4-8. Blueberry Plants and Bushes. Legacy Northern Highbush Blueberry-WHERE TO BUY THIS VARIETY-A USDA introduction from the blueberry research station in New Jersey. Blueberry Plants. Early season southern highbush will ripen 2 to 3 weeks before early rabbiteyes, and mid-season varieties will ripen 8 to 12 days before early rabbiteyes. Even self-pollinating varieties, however, produce more and larger fruit when cross-pollination with a different variety takes place. This variety does best in the south, southwest, and west coast. Blueberry varieties will cross-pollinate within group types and improved fruit set and an extended harvest season can be obtained by planting 3 or 4 varieties in the garden. Like Southern highbush blueberries, these selections of the Southeast native Vaccinium ashei are adapted to hot, humid summers and mild winters. Our plants are 2 to 4 + years old ready for planting. Highbush blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum) is a woody perennial shrub that is a member of the heath, or Ericaceae, family. Acid soil required. The berries are medium to large, have average colour and scar with resistance to dropping and cracking. Chilling requirement is estimated at 400-500 hours. To be safe, plant at least two varieties that flower at the same time, unless wild blueberries are nearby. Find which blueberry varieties grow best in your region. Midseason, sweet, firm berry. Highbush blueberry plant care begins with proper site selection and soil amendment. Cross-pollination has been associated with improved fruit set, weight, and shortened time to ripening in southern highbush blueberry [SHB (Vaccinium corymbosum interspecific hybrids)]. Southern Highbush blueberry bushes offer gardeners unique foliage, bloom and plant characteristics that aren’t found in the Northern Highbush. Berries Unlimited only provides tissue cultured and virus indexed plants for northern blueberries (we also provide southern blueberry bushes), and that ensures the health of the plant and our customer's success and to get the most yield possible. Consistently rated by growers and customers as the best tasting blueberry. Just a few blueberry bushes would provide adequate berries for a small family. The northern highbush is most common type grown worldwide and in the Pacific Northwest. Some Southern Highbush are self-pollinating, but the berries will be larger if two varieties are planted together. These varieties have low winter chilling requirements. This publication briefly describes each type of blueberry. Southern Highbush Blueberry Varieties. The advantage of this is that the blossoms will not be damaged by late spring frost. Different varieties can grow from 2 to 6 feet tall. Again, newer varieties are listed in bold. provide a double bonus when grown in the home garden. Self-pollination is not unique to Ventura, as other highbush blueberry varieties can also produce fruit in the absence of pollinators. Vaccinium corymbosum, the northern highbush blueberry, is a North American species of blueberry which has become a food crop of significant economic importance. Vaccinium also includes cranberries, bilberries, huckleberries and Madeira blueberries. Varieties are categorized by the climate in which they are predominately grown. Type: Northern Highbush Season: Mid-season General Description: Mid-chill (700-800 hours) northern highbush breed by a grower, Joseph Eberhardt and originally released in 1933. Most highbush blueberry varieties are self-fertile.