which blueberry shrubs to choose?

11 years ago

my local lowes has the following,

avon, peral, sweetheart, o'neal.

which one should i buy?

i am here in southern california, and i want one that is easy to grow, produce a lot. ;) maybe twice a year if possible.

thanks.

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Comments (3)

Bradybb WA-Zone8
11 years ago
Avon and Peral,those are new to me.I may have heard of Avon,but both are not too common
Oneal is an older Southern Highbush variety that is suppose to be early and very good tasting.
Sweetheart is a new hybrid Northern/Southern cross and is said to bear two crops a year. Brady
blueboy1977
11 years ago
Sweetheart does state it crops in the fall also but so does Emerald and the berries dont sweeten up in fall. I think its a good sales pitch though! Not saying it wont work cause I havent tried Sweetheart, just a little sketchy about fall blues. From what Ive read the zones havent been nailed down as to where it will thrive, at least the southern zones havent been nailed down. I also havent seen a chill hour recommendaiton on it either. Pearl sounds interesting after reading some descriptions of it. Oneal is supppost to be a great berry but doesnt produce a lot of fruit. If you dont like to thin fruit buds in the spring Oneal would be the way to go. Pretty much all the newer Southern High Bush over produce and do require bud thing. The only one Im aware of that doesnt is Sweetcrisp. If I had to choose from the varieties you stated I would have to get 2 and hope they flower close enough to each other to get good cross pollination and would choose Sweetheart and Pearl. There are alot of online nurseries that carry bunches of other varieties that are proven in your area. Maybe alittle research would give you better options, proven options.
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Preppy, I have seen Emeralds so tall that the migrant workers could not pick them easily but height is controlled by you through pruning. Rabbiteye blueberries can hit 15-20 feet I guess again if allowed to do so. There are some commercial growers here in Florida that have acres and acres of blueberries all in 30 gallon pots. They may produce slightly less in a pot for most people. I know Steve (Fruitnut) had a huge yield out of a Star BB in a pot..bigger than I have ever got from my inground plants even but he is a rockstar grower:) He knows his stuff. Bamboo_Rabbit say.... a slightly reduced yield in a pot is still way more production than a dead plant in the ground. :) This post was edited by bamboo_rabbit on Fri, Feb 22, 13 at 17:09
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_Pittosporum tobira_ is an excellent suggestion for the type of landscaping you're involved with. However, there is a more cold-tolerant Korean form of _Pittosporum tobira_ that is identical in appearance to the more commonly grown Japanese version, except that it is a little more compact in its habit of growth. Korean _Pittosporum tobira_ is hardy into Zone 7 and is available from Camellia Forest Nursery in Chapel Hill, NC, and Woodlanders in Aiken, SC, two highly reputable mail-order nurseries having easily navigated, secure Websites. _Pittosporum tobira_ makes an elegant garden specimen and lends itself well to hedge work. Allowed to grow naturally _Pittosporum tobira_ forms a beautiful small tree. It also tolerates shearing extremely well and is frequently used in the landscaping of public spaces as well as private grounds. In late spring, it produces clusters of creamy white flowers with an orange-blossom fragrance. The flowers are followed by clusters of small red fruit in the fall.
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Raw_Nature
11 years ago
I would diffenently look for early,mid,late ripening varieties so you have fruit for monthes..

Here is a link that might be useful: Blueberry

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which blueberry shrubs to choose?

Comments (3)

Bradybb WA-Zone8

blueboy1977

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Raw_Nature

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