Other Names:  Florida Evergreen Blueberry

Description:

This exciting, compact dwarf variety produces rose pink new foliage that matures to deep green in summer; abundant crop of sweet blueberries in late spring; great for the garden or patio containers

Edible Qualities

Shiny Blueberry is a small shrub that is commonly grown for its edible qualities, although it does have ornamental merits as well. It produces clusters of blue round berries which are usually ready for picking from late spring to early summer. The berries have a sweet taste and a firm texture.

The berries are most often used in the following ways:

• Fresh Eating
• Cooking
• Baking
• Preserves

Features & Attributes

Shiny Blueberry has attractive dark green evergreen foliage which emerges pink in spring on a plant with a mounded habit of growth. The small glossy oval leaves are highly ornamental and remain dark green throughout the winter. It features dainty clusters of shell pink bell-shaped flowers hanging below the branches from late winter to early spring. It features an abundance of magnificent blue berries in late spring.

This is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a mounded form. 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 plant, 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.

Aside from its primary use as an edible, Shiny Blueberry is sutiable for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• General Garden Use
• Orchard/Edible Landscaping
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Shiny 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 10 years. This variety requires a different selection of the same species growing nearby in order to set fruit.

This shrub can be integrated into a landscape or flower garden by creative gardeners, but is usually grown in a designated edibles garden. It 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 foliage 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 species is native to parts of North America.

Shiny Blueberry is a good choice for the edible garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.