Photo courtesy of Spotswood Greenery
Photo courtesy of Spotswood Greenery
Photo courtesy of Spotswood Greenery
Photo courtesy of Spotswood Greenery
Vaccinium angustifolium
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Lowbush blueberry is the native groundcover that feeds you. Vaccinium angustifolium is the wild blueberry of Maine barrens, spreading into a low mat 6 to 24 inches tall and 18 to 24 inches wide, hardy from Zone 2 through Zone 8 in full sun to part sun. It fills in over three or four seasons and fruits within two.
White bell flowers open in spring, followed by small blue berries in midsummer. They are smaller than the highbush types and considerably more intense in flavor, which is why wild blueberries command a premium. Fall foliage turns hard scarlet and holds for weeks, so the planting earns its place even after the picking is done.
Native bees come to the flowers in numbers, and the foliage feeds brown elfin and huckleberry sphinx caterpillars. Songbirds compete with you for the fruit.
Acidic soil is not optional. Lowbush blueberry needs a pH between about 4.0 and 5.5, and in neutral ground it yellows and stalls. Test before planting and amend if you need to. It tolerates poor, sandy, rocky soil and drought once established. Plants are more productive with a second variety nearby for cross-pollination, though a single plant will set some fruit. Space 18 to 24 inches apart.
Height 6"- 24" Spread 18"- 24"
USDA Hardiness Zones 2-8
Lowest Temperatures -50°F to -40°F
Full sun to part sun- at least 4 hours direct sun per day
Brown Elfin, Huckleberry Sphinx
CT, DE, IA, IL, IN, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NC, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV
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