Growing blueberries in a corner of my garden

tree

Blueberries are fruit trees, but trees that are good as garden trees

Fruit trees are often not attractive as garden trees, but blueberries have many attractive tree shapes and their flowers as garden trees even if the fruits cannot be harvested.

Select blueberry varieties

Blueberries are roughly classified into rabbit eye type and high bush type. Rabbit eye strains are suitable for areas with hot summers, and high bush strains are suitable for areas with severe winters. Rabbit-eye blueberries are the best choice, as the Japanese copse garden is a relatively hot area. In addition, there are many kinds of rabbit eye, but I chose “Columbus” and “Powder blue” varieties among them. The large fruits of “Columbus” are sweet and satisfying to eat.

On the other hand, blueberries do not bear fruits in one type of cultivation, so if you want to harvest fruits, need to plant two types of blueberries. Since “Powder Blue” has a graceful tree shape, it is planted as a tree not only for eating fruits but also for producing “Columbus” fruits. Thanks to “Powder Blue”, which doesn’t spread much in tree shape, the place to grow blueberries doesn’t grow too large, so I think I chose the two most suitable types. Of course, it’s smaller than “Columbus”, but the fruits of “Powder Blue” are also very delicious.

Blueberry flowers

Pretty flowers bloom on the tree in May. Autumn leaves are also beautiful. The tree shape is well organized and the height is only about 1.5 meters, and pruning is done by cutting a large branch from the root, which does not take much effort. Isn’t it a good tree even if you can’t get the fruits?

Columbus
Powder blue

Blueberry harvest

In August, blueberry fruits turn purple, and can be eaten freshly grown at home.

Columbus

Powder blue on the left and Columbus on the right. You can see the difference in size.

Difference in size of each blueberry
Blueberry harvest

What is blueberry; characteristics, growing method, and notes

It is a deciduous tree of the genus Azalea, genus Vaccinium and is about 1 meter tall. It is said to be semi-evergreen, but in the garden of miscellaneous trees, leaves are completely dropped in winter. It is a tree-shaped tree with thin branches extending from the ground, so the branches that are strong and vigorous are cut at the root and pruned. I used the soil exclusively for blueberries at the time of planting, but after that I grew up well without any special management. Every winter I give rice bran to those trees.

My favorite 4

favorite [5]⇔[0]least favorite