CELEBRATING BLUEBERRIES IN JULY
You may not know that July is NATIONAL BLUEBERRY MONTH.
The National American Blueberry Council founded National Blueberry Month and is officially recognized by the United States Department of Agriculture since 2003.
Blueberries have been a part of Native American diets for thousands of years for both food consumption and for medicinal purposes.
Are you aware that we have native, wild blueberries growing naturally in Central Virginia? One popular variety of native blueberry that we have in our Native Plants selection is the BLUERAY HIGHBUSH BLUEBERRY. The fruit is a favorite among humans as well as birds, small mammals, and box turtles. Blueray is a vigorous grower with a heavy fruit set.
Here are a couple other benefits of having blueberries in the landscape: the white flowers in spring provide nectar for many pollinators, laval food source for several native butterflies, blueberries provide nesting, cover and fruit for birds, and it is easy to grow which deserves wider use.
At my previous house I planted three or four blueberries as foundation plants. I loved the look that it gave to my foundation plantings in front of the house.
All blueberries / whether you decide on a native variety or not – and there are many different varieties – like to be planted in a partially sunny location here in Virginia. They all like moist, well-drained, and acidic soil. The best pH would be around 6.0 to 6.5 ( 7.0 is neutral ). The Blueray Highbush Blueberry will grow 4’ to 6’ tall and 3’ to 4’ wide. So, when planting, be sure to accommodate these growing dimensions.
Previously, I mentioned our native “highbush”. Blueberries come in both highbush and lowbush classification. The main difference is the size the plant grows. Lowbush grows closer to the ground and produces smaller, more intense sweet and flavorful berries. Not all blueberry varieties are self-pollinating – most all however. To be one the safe side I recommend planting more than one plant. If you choose two different varieties then be sure that they flower the same time. And, yes a highbush can pollinate a lowbush.
Personally, I eat some blueberries in my oatmeal every morning for breakfast. I love summer because blueberries are so plentiful and I like getting them grown locally with our produce vendors in our farmers’ market every Thursday.
Come visit our nursery and let us show you our blueberry plants.
PLANT A LITTLE HAPPINESS FOR YOU AND SUPPORT A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT BY PROVIDING FOOD AND SHELTER FOR WILDLIFE!!!!!!!!