All Vitis species are completely edible, varying in size, flavor, and seediness. But even the smallest and seediest are excellent for juice, jelly, wine, etc. just no good for fresh eating. With wild grapes the challenge is finding a productive vine as most just put out a whole lot of vegetative growth and very little fruit. Larger, tastier wild grapes of the species you commonly have in Virginia are certainly out there, it is just a matter of locating them at the right time. You should get a good book on wild edibles and learn their characteristics along with those of the toxic look-alikes if you're anticipating foraging...

FWIW. Garden huckleberry is in the genus Solanum. Looks like a larger version of the Black Nightshade.Flowering and growth pattern very similar. Huckleberry in the south refers to a blueberry relative. Tastes like a blue berry but has lots of tiny seeds so that they have a gritty texture. There are plants called huckle berry in both the genus Vaccinium and Gaylussacia. The common name has a broad use and may be a different plant in different regions. For those interested, the south is native to another huckleberry look alike Sparkleberry/Farkelberry Vaccinium arboreum . http://www.augustaga.gov/1634/Sparkleberry Wonderberry/Sunberry is also a Solanum but a different species. It was supposedly hybridized by Luther Burbank in the early 1900's.We still see it listed as either Solanum retro flexum or Solanum x burbankii One of the parents was Solanum nigrum guineense The older synonym for Garden Huckleberry. http://www.extension.umn.edu/garden/yard-garden/fruit/garden-huckleberry/

Jacquelynn - In the future you may get more answers and you can get them coming directly to your email if you start a new thread for a question rather than adding on to an old one. Just go to the main New England forum page and scroll down to the bottom to start a new thread. Check off the box to get thread additions emailed directly to you. Sure - any size or variety of blueberry shrub can be grown well in the ground! In fact they will probably be happier with less fussing on your part in the ground. I have both high bush and low bush blueberries growing wild all over my old farm. For good fruiting, if you are growing the shorter ones, be sure that they are positioned so that they aren't shadowed by taller plants near them. Mulch well with an organic mulch since blueberries have relatively shallow roots and don't like to dry out. The birds like blueberries too, so you may need to cover the shrubs with bird netting as harvest time gets close. Enjoy - blueberries are one of the easiest fruit crops in my experience. As a bonus you get spring flowers and lovely red autumn foliage.

Ligustrum japonicum, Japanese Privet, is not as bad as Lingustrum sinese, Chinese Privet, or Lingusturm vulgare, Common or European Privet, but is still considered a rank 2 invasive by TN-EPPC, the Tennessee Exotic Pest Plant Council. I have read that 'Recurvifolium' seemed to exhibit slightly less invasive potential as some other Japanese Privets. So overall, Ligustrum japonicum 'Recurvifolium' would probably be somewhere in the middle of the invasive-noninvasive spectrum. Good news (?) for akewa! While some of the Elaeagnuses (umbellata, pungens, and to a much lesser degree angustifolia) are invasive, many are not. Also, many Elaeagnus have huge environmental benefits (nitrogen-fixing, wildlife food, etc, etc). Don't discount this wonderful genus! Of the Mahonias, only Mahonia beali is listed as invasive here, and it's only a TN-EPPC rank 2. Prunus caroliniana, Carolina Cherrylaurel, can get pretty big to plant beside one's house. They can commonly reach 30' x 30' with the national champion being 47' x 55'. While not on the TN-EPPC list (as Myrtleoak said, it's a native), Prunus caroliniana can become weedy. With our zone change, it may start to become more of a problem here. It is pretty widespread in parts of Georgia and the Carolinas. Vaccinium arboreum, Farkleberry or Sparkleberry, would be a nice landscape plant and is especially useful for dry shade (it also does well in full sun). My guess is that it would be evergreen in much of TN, especially in warmer locations (protected areas, warm microclimates, etc). Here is a link that might be useful: TN-EPPC Invasive Exotic Plant List