I couldn't find a live plant for you anywhere, but you can find seeds plenty of places (you'll have much better luck searching for "Huckleberry").

Ah good, other people posted so I can ask a question with out messing up the order.

I looked bilberry up and it said it was a type of english blueberry. I'v never heard of these, I've heard of huckleberry's are they the same, I've never tried either. They are edible right? What do they taste like? Is it like a blueberry or can it be described?

Just curious,

Thanks
Kristi

"Huckleberry" and "blueberry" is a different species than "bilberry". This is another good example of where common names can lead to confusion. ie., if you search "Huckleberry" in the Forest Farm site, three different genus, including two species of Vaccinium come up.

Bilberry, Vaccinium myrtillus, is unique and has certain medicinal properties that other Vaccinium appear not to have. Depending on what you intend to use your plants for, Tommyc, Huckleberry may not be the plant you want.

If you do find it, please let us know! I have very fond memories of bilberry jam from a plant brought by my grandmother from Scotland.

Martie

Oh... Well, there's an Australian seller on eBay offering dried berries from V. myrtillus. That might provide viable seed. Probably worth asking.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Herbs-Bilberry-Berries-Peace-Tranquility-15g_W0QQitemZ5607836361QQcategoryZ113802QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem

Hartmanns Plant Company, a Michigan nursery specializing in small fruit, has them. They're listed under low-bush bluberries, but with the correct Latin name.

Here is a link that might be useful: Hartmann's

Thanks Neil... I'm waiting for a response on them about when would be the best time to plant these here in SE Michigan. I'd interested in them for jams, & pies. I've been reading about it for herbal use for the eyes. It seems to work from all the stuff I read. I ordered some processed Bilberry for an herbal supplement. I'm 50 and I thought it would help with my eyesite. Slowly needing to use reading glasses. Maybe it can help.

http://hartmannsplantcompany.com/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=BB-R-7600-0400&Category_Code=&Store_Code=HPC

Here is a link that might be useful: Bilberry Plants

Neil (and Tommyc for asking):

Thanks so much for the introduction to Hartmann's. The site is bookmarked for next Spring!

Martie

From Shrubs came another grower suggestion linked below. This one also looks promising. Check out the common names. Why *is* it easier to use Latin..... LOL

Martie, who wishes she knew Latin well.

Here is a link that might be useful: Vaccinium myrtillus

I received an answer from Hartmans already. They recommended getting the plants in Spring. They always have them in stock. So today I prepared a bed for 5 shrubs. They seem to like acid soil with some leaf mold. So I gathered up some ash leaves and worked them into the soil. I will also add some Ginkgo, but they haven't fallen yet. Probably by the weekend. This certainly has me looking forward to a new challenge next spring. I also got another link from the shrub forum. Seems like I live in a good state for Bilberry's. I'd like to taste the jam, but couldn't find any here in the states.

Here is a link that might be useful: Oikos Tree Crops

It might be fun to grow bilberries (or whinberries, as my Welsh grandmother called them) but if you wanted to make jam you would need an awful lot of plants. They are very low growing (about a foot), the berries are small (about the same circumference as a pencil) and they do not crop heavily. It takes a long time to gather a worthwhile amount. Of course, in a garden you could keep away birds and animals, but in the wild 5 plants would give you a handful or two of berries. They grow in acid conditions on moorland and woodland edges, especially in boggy places and it would be quite hard to reproduce their favoured habitat in a garden. I have never heard of them being cultivated in this country, although they appear in accounts of permaculture.

Also check out Raintree Nursery in Washington. Lots of great edibles. We ordered from Oikos and were VERY happy! I finally found my blackthorn (Prunus spinosa) there. Took me years of searching.

Hello,
After a long internet search, I found a grower, HorizonHerbs.com in the USA which grows their plants from seeds. They have Bilberry Plants (Vaccinium Myrtillus) 3-4 years old available for purchase. They also have seed packets. I purchased both. Their internet site mentions only the Bilberry seeds, but if you e-mail or call them, they can tell you about their Bilberry plants. Bilberry plants have to be at least 3-4 years old before they bear fruit. You can reach them at this link:

http://www.horizonherbs.com/product.asp?specific=358

Also, this grower is especially careful to maintain high quality standards. All of their seeds are heirloom organic AND non-genetically modified. I hope this helps. I don't know why it is so hard to find Bilberry in this country but this source has them available in the best form possible!!!

I have just come home from three days walking on the North Somerset/Devon coast where bilberries and blackthorn abound. I'm still curious as to why you want to grow bilberries when the yield is so tiny. I'm also especially intrigued by herbalbetty's search for blackthorn. Over here it is on sale very cheaply as a hedging plant. The spinosa part of its name is absolutely accurate and it is widely used here as a stock proof hedge. But apart from the sloes for making gin or wine why do you want one so much?

When using bilberry for medicine, you also use the leaves. So, yield is a little better than one might first assume.

I have tried Hartmanns and Horizon and One Green World, and the other references above also, some of them a few years old. No One has the plants!! Why is that, I wonder...seems to me, with people ready and willing to pay to purchase them, someone sould have them available. Especially as they appear to both be very good for health, and very tasty fruit... Any more leads? Please??

Hello Xikum,
I'm sorry you are still having a hard time finding the wonderful Bilberry plant. I strongly recommend calling the Horizon Herb Company for this plant. They can be reached at (541) 846-6704 by phone. Horizon Herbs has Bilberry plants several years old and ready to produce fruit.
Also, the Hartmann Plant Company at this link still has them available. They list them under the name "Eagle Bilberry" because Bilberries help night vision. I just checked it out myself:

http://hartmannsplantcompany.com/miva/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=BB-R-7600-0400&Category_Code=&Store_Code=HPC

Hartmann's phone number is: (269) 253-4281. I personally will not deal with Hartmann's because they would not take my inquiry about whether their plants are organic and/or genetically modified seriously. They even made it obvious they were brushing it off as an unimportant request.
There is another source I just discovered by the name of Sand Mountain Herbs on the internet as:

http://www.sandmountainherbs.com/bilberry.html

They still sell the seeds but they seem to have sold out of their plants until the Fall of 2008. You may have to wait a few months is all it means.
Hopefully, this will help and you will have your Bilberry plant very soon. You MUST contact these suppliers directly to get proper satisfaction.

Happy Gardening,
Anthony

Here in Yorkshire England they grow wild on moorland I used to take my children to pick the berries when they were young and make bilberry pie and crumble.To make jam you would need to spend a lot of time and effort as they are low bushes with few fruit on each so would be back breaking work to collect enough for jam.

I was interested in bilberry plants because the fruit is supposed to be so good for you, and reportedly tastes richer than blueberries. The low yield, and their reputation for being difficult to grow is kind of discouraging though. I may stick with lingonberries instead.

Vaccinium myrtillus - Bilberry seeds (25 per packet) as of 11/2015

http://www.tradewindsfruit.com/vaccinium-myrtillus-bilberry-seeds