Bushel and Berry® Southern Bluebelle Blueberry

If you want to grow your own blueberries, the key to success is to choose the variety most suitable for your garden. Because this is such a popular berry there are many to choose from, and it can be confusing. In particular it is important to choose a variety for your climate. Blueberries, like most other berry and fruit crops, need a certain period of low temperature, called ‘chilling hours’, before they will mature their flowers, and so develop fruit. If you live in a warm zone and you choose the wrong berry, then your plants will grow, but they will never flower properly, and you won’t have a harvest. If you live in the south, in warm areas with short, mild winters, and you want to have blueberries, but not a dedicated berry garden, then we suggest you choose the Bushel & Berry® Southern Bluebelle™ blueberry bush. This compact plant is perfect for planting among flowering shrubs, but although small, each bush will deliver 4 lbs. of berries, and it needs a low number of chilling hours, so your success is pretty much guaranteed.

Growing the Bushel & Berry® Southern Bluebelle™

Size and Appearance

The Southern Bluebelle blueberry bush forms a compact, mounding plant between 2 and 3 feet tall and wide, with a dense, twiggy structure. It is a bushy and attractive shrub, that fits well into your shrub beds, and looks great in a container, even when not covered with blooms or berries. The neat, glossy leaves are not much more than an inch long, so the plant has the look of a neat evergreen, although it is deciduous for a short time in winter.

The plant begins to bloom in March, shortly before, or at the same time, as the new leaves appear. The flowers are pure white, and they are in clusters of 10 or more – the secret to why this small bush can crop so well. The flowers are small but charming, like clusters of hanging urns, with a mild fragrance reminiscent of fresh cut grass. This variety is self-pollinating, and it sets a good crop of blueberries without the need for a different variety growing nearby. The blooms soon become small green berries, which will ripen in about 2½ months, usually during May. The large crop, in those big clusters, look great, and they are so easy to pick and enjoy. Each one is well over ½ inch across, with a deep, blue-black color and that attractive pale-blue dusty wax coating that makes blueberries look so special and delicious. The berries as juicy, with a perfect balance between sweet and tart, and they are terrific for eating raw or cooking into pancakes, pies or muffins. Once established you bush will soon be yielding 4 lbs. of blueberries, and even more in time.

Using the Bushel & Berry® Southern Bluebelle™ in Your Garden

Wherever you need an attractive rounded shrub, that is the spot to plant the Southern Bluebelle, instead of a boring leafy bush. Use it along a pathway, or in the foreground of your beds. It is also perfect for containers and planter boxes – place a pair on either side of your door, where you might have used boxwoods. Grow it in pots outside your kitchen door and have fresh berries within seconds.

Hardiness

The Southern Bluebelle is hardy across all the warmer zones, from zone 6 all the way into southern Florida or California, in zone 10. Check out our selection of blueberries for suitable varieties if you live in cooler zones – there are several excellent bushes available.

Sun Exposure and Soil Conditions

Full sun is always best for blueberries, and Southern Bluebelle is no exception. Plant it in a sunny spot, in moist but well-drained soil. Although it does not tolerate drought, this bush does not enjoy wet, boggy ground either, preferring good drainage. The soil must be acidic, with a pH value of 5.5 or less, so if you don’t have this in your garden, grow it in a planter or pot. Use potting soil blended for acid-loving plants like azaleas or camellias. Add some shredded pine bark to the soil, and use it as mulch too, over the surface of the pot.

Maintenance and Pruning

Water your bushes regularly, whenever the soil surface is looking just a little dry, especially between blooming and harvest time. Use a fertilizer for acid-loving plants just before the flower buds open, and again mid-way in the ripening period. No pruning is needed, but you can remove any older branches that begin to lose their vigor, with small leaves and few or no flowers. This bush is generally free of any serious pests or diseases, and it grows vigorously and well under ordinary garden conditions.

History and Origin of the Bushel & Berry® Southern Bluebelle™

This bush is a hybrid variety, developed by Professor Scott NeSmith of the University of Georgia, in Athens. He is a well-known breeder of commercial blueberries who has begun to develop plants suited for home growing. In 2007, at the Georgia Experiment Station in Griffin, he crossed the well-known variety ‘Rebel’ with a plant already developed from his earlier breeding. By 2010 he was testing promising seedlings at the University’s Blueberry Research Farms in Alapaha and Griffin, and the variety called ‘TO-1319’ was selected in 2011 for its outstanding characteristics. It was patented in 2017, after years of trials and testing, and now plants are available with the trademark name of Southern Bluebelle™. This has been made an integral part of Star® Roses and Plants series of berries for home growing called the Bushel & Berry® range.

Buying the Bushel & Berry® Southern Bluebelle™ at The Tree Center

There are many outstanding blueberries in the Bushel & Berry® range, but for warm states, where you want big, tasty berries, a large crop, and a compact bush for a container or small garden, Southern Bluebelle is the one. We recommend it, so order now, because our stock is limited, and all our plants will soon be gone.