Yes half high blueberry varieties are more cold tolerant than highbush blueberry varieties. In Michigan highbush blueberry are commonly grown in the southern half of the lower peninsula. Highbush will grow north of this area but suffers a greater chance of cold injury primarily to flowering wood. This results in reduced yield and even crop failure. Not ideal for commercial production. Half high bushes are usually crosses of highbush blueberry and lowbush blueberry V. angustifolium. Lowbush is what most people think of as wild blueberry. Technically both highbush and lowbush can be wild. Half highs are shorter and snowcover helps limit cold injury. They also are more cold hardy due to their lowbush lineage. The flavor of the berry is intermediate between highbush and lowbush. There is no standard wild blueberry flavor. I have many wild blueberries on my property. There are at least three lowbush species, highbush, natural half highs, and several lowbush hydrid clones. Berry flavor, color, and size is quite variable. Some have nice flavor others not so much. Flavor of berries is often improved by letting the fruit hang for a few days after the entire berry turns blue. The beauty of half highs are that they extend the area blueberries can be grown to the north. They are also smaller in stature making them more suitable for edible landscaping. Finally I believe they are more tolerant of less than ideal soil conditions (pH) than highbush blueberry.

We have several lowbush varieties, along with both highbush and half-high blueberries. The lowbush have similar requirements for sun, soil pH, and moisture. The main issue is that you need to be two feet tall in order to pick the fruit without stooping. Lowbush varieties have one big advantage over the taller shrubs. They are routinely snowed under in the winter, which goes a long way to protect the shrub from browsing rabbits and deer. Also moose, if you live in Maine or Canada...I believe that the extensive lowbush blueberry beds in Maine are harvested by machine, a type of rotating horizontal brush mounted on a tractor. After harvest, the entire bed is mowed down, and allowed to lie fallow for a season, so the shrubs can recover. Then the process repeats, so there will be a harvest event every other year. It is not actually necessary to mow down your lowbush blueberry shrubs, they do fine with a little pruning now and then. In the landscape scene, they would be described as groundcover. These are pretty tough plants, better able to survive a dry spell than the highbush shrubs. If you can get the pH down to 4.5 or so, a typical shrub might produce 1/2 cup of fruit.

Wild (lowbush) blueberries cannot be 'tamed', they only can be maintained by maintaining their habitat. You know whether or not you have wild blueberry bushes: their size ranges from 2" to 12", and the flavor of the berries is incomparable. No other 'blueberry' tastes like the low-bush wild blueberry. Wild Maine blueberries are now offered frozen in grocery stores, the only brand that we personally know that offers true wild Maine berries is Wyman. If you have only a few small blueberry plants and if they haven't increased on their own they may need more acid soil. You can use acidifiers that are labeled for rhododendrons or azaleas but before doing so consult U.Maine Extension to learn what dilution you need. Also ask whether mulching and more sun may be necessary. My blueberries grow in very thin soil over granite, are in full sun away from trees but they enjoy the 'mulch' provided by weeds and other low berry plants (cranberries). Except for fog, dew, or rain they're never watered, so it appears that they enjoy quite dry conditions. Though commercial growers irrigate the barrens and maintain other cultural practices (spot burning in the spring), we do nothing at all and always have a decent crop. If your berries aren't dropping to the ground and seeding, it's possible that birds and animals are eating them. In that case you can reserve a few berries for propagating. For propagation advice, consult U.Maine Extension. http://www.extension.umaine.edu/topics/blueberries.htm The answers you seek regarding blueberry culture are in the appended text below, copied from: http://www.wildblueberries.com/about_wild_blueberries/ Wild Blueberries of Maine & Canada One of only three berries native to North America, the Wild Blueberry (vaccinium angustifolium) thrives in the glacial soils and northern climate found in the fields and barrens of Downeast Maine and Canada. Rich in antioxidants, Wild Blueberries have grown naturally for thousands of years. The Lowbush Blueberries Unlike highbush cultivated blueberries, Wild Blueberries are not planted. These lowbush blueberries are primarily spread by rhizomes or underground runners, which give rise to new roots and stems. All shoots arising from the same rhizome system have similar characteristics and are referred to as a blueberry clone. Wild Blueberry fields and barrens actually produce many different lowbush blueberry clones, which account for the variations in color and size that characterize the Wild Blueberry crop. Growing and Harvesting: Blueberry Growers Combine Tradition and Technology Naturally suited to acidic, low-fertility soils and challenging winters, Wild Blueberries are a low-input crop requiring minimal management. The berries are grown on a two-year cycle. Each year, half of a growers land is managed to encourage vegetative growth and the other half is prepared for harvest. In May, growers import a billion commercial bees to aid the native bee population in pollinating the barrens and fields. There are many bee species associated with Wild Blueberries, including bumble bees and honey bees. Native bees are exceptional pollinators and Wild Blueberry growers take care to preserve wild bees through conservation practices. The Blueberry Grower  Managing the Harvest After the harvest, which begins in late July and continues through August, the plants are pruned to the ground by mowing or burning. Wild Blueberries are harvested commercially only in Maine and Canada. The oldest commercial processing company dates back to 1874 and many of todayÂs independent, family-owned growers have been in the Wild Blueberry business for generations. Many Wild Blueberry crops are still harvested the traditional way, using hand-held berry rakes that were first invented in 1910. Whether hand raked or machine harvested, Wild Blueberries are sorted, cleaned and processed within hours of being picked, using state-of-the-art technology to reserve their flavor, quality and antioxidant capacity. From Fresh to Frozen Blueberries  Preserving Taste & Nutrition Growers use winnowing machines in the fields to remove leaves and twigs before the berries are washed and frozen. Wild Blueberries are individually quick frozen (IQF) using a method that allows for the fast preservation of taste and nutrition for millions of berries. IQF berries can remain frozen for over two years without loosing their flavor or nutritional value. Laser color sorters are also utilized to remove anything but the finest quality Wild Blueberries prior to packing. Modern Crop Management  Maintaining Healthy Land & Healthy Crops Wild Blueberry growers are strongly committed to best agricultural practices. They use sustainable management techniques to ensure healthy crops and to protect Wild Blueberry lands for future generations. Because Wild Blueberries are indigenous to Maine and Canada, they are naturally resistant to many native pests. Still, growers are challenged to minimize crop damage caused by environmental stressors such as disease, drought, insect damage and winter injury. Using Integrated Crop Management (ICM) and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) throughout the crop cycle, growers monitor disease and insect levels to minimize fruit destruction without harming the environment. Good luck. I hope your berries spread and flourish.

Are you stuck on blueberries? Native huckleberries (Gaylussacia baccata, G. brachycera) can take more shade. Some of them look, and taste, similar to blueberries. Several other berrying shrubs also do well in partial shade, too: Winterberries, (they just won't get as big as those in sun) Mapleleaf Viburnum, Leatherwood (Dirca palustris), Red elderberry (Sambucus pubens), Gray Dogwood (Cornus racemosa), Spicebush (Lindera benzoin), and Serviceberry (Amelanchier spp), also edible. [St. Lawrence carries several shrub-sized ones.] I've always planted potted shrubs. Growing them from seed sounds like an interesting project. If you have luck with the blueberry seeds, let us know.