I’m afraid I am 13 years late but I can say a little about those varieties. First, is that I would never trade a rabbiteye for a southern, and I have both. Rabbiteyes produce more, are more resistant to extreme climate conditions, diseases and accept fertilization better than southerns. Rabbiteyes can take drought and lack of nutrients better than southerns, also will adapt to different soils better than southerns. In no way southerns are better than rabbiteyes, the only thing southerns are "better" is the thin skin on fruits, because I dont even consider the seeds thing, blueberry seeds are already very small in rabbiteyes. Now, for the varieties. I dont have all, but I have some, Woodard is a must, simply, because is an awesome pollinator, it flowers so heavily and I'm sure its flowers have some smell on it because it attracts bees like no other. Climax is a heavy producer and the fruit does taste good and sweet when ripe, it will be gritty if you harvest too early, leave it hanging on the bush a few days after it turns blue. Briteblue is a beast, what it has in compact size, it doubles in production, big fruits, will tolerate Ph on the 6 range better than other varieties, fruits are more on the tart side, good for recipes. Delite will not blow your mind with production like Briteblue, but it is the most tasty among rabbiteyes, simply delicious. The ones that I dont have but heard good things are Powderblue and Premier. Southerns I have: Emerald, good fruits, a litte bland on taste, but big and beautiful, less feeble than other southerns. Biloxi, it only lives to one mission: produces in no chill conditions, the rest is a nightmare. Will go into shock with Ph a little over 5, get spotted with more than two rains, the growth is just desordenated, it grows too much and that is why its roots can never keep up with its metabolism, because it overgrows, it will require lots, lots lots, lots of nitrogen, but it cant take salts! So you go for organic matter, but it is slow release so you won't be able to keep its needs, how growers in Peru and Mexico deal with that? They prune the whole plant to the ground level every year, that is crazy! Yes the fruits can be delicious, but only a few because most will be tart due to its bad root system, the size of the fruit can vary a lot in the same crop and the crop is small. The few that are good are really delicious. Misty, also overproduces, in the case, too much flowers, so much that it wont have enough leaf to support and some advise to clip some flowers, the bush is just stupid to the point it does not know how much energy it should spend on flowering and growing, the plant is prone to fungus infection, the fruits are delicious, I give it that, the most sweet after Delite.

Well I guess it depends on who you ask at my house. My wife told me yesterday that I should replace all my plants with Brightwells. She likes them that much! Tifblue is suppost to be what all other rabbiteyes are compaired to so I assume its good but havent tasted it. Its alittle high on the chill hours for my area just like Powderblue. Thats why I didnt get it and Im probably going to get rid of Powderblue for the same reason. Beckyblue is my least favorite of my rabbiteyes. Its hard to tell when they are sweet unless you taste them and usually you are dissapointed. Im going to let them stay on the bush untill atleast half of them have been ripe for a couple weeks and see if that makes a difference. Woodard is okay as far as taste goes. Same thing as Beckyblue, usually dissapointing unless they stay on the bush for long time. Taste, plant growth, hardiness...... Brightwell seems to be alot sweeter of a berry than any of my Southern High Bush. SHB seem to have more of a tart to them, which I like, but all the SHB have alittle different flavor than the next. I probably have been picking the SHB alittle to early. About the longest Ive let them hang on the bush is about a week after turning color. Rabbiteyes out grow SHB 3 to 1. Im trying really hard to keep my rabbiteyes at 6ft but it requires alot of prunning and tipping to do it. They can get up to 20ft if left unprunned. Hardiness, Ive only lost one Premire rabbiteye in the first growing season but it was sick when I got it. Havent lost another plant yet but have had to cut back a few canes on Gulfcoast due to stem blight. Other than that every variety I have is growing like gang busters so far. I really believe that its all about the water quality you use to water them. Anyone can create a acidic growing medium but not everyone has access to good water. The only reason I think Ive had the success that I have is the amount of rain water storage I have. I have about 1800 gallons of storage now. It looks pretty getto though with all the blue drums in the corner of my yard but I just put up a wood fence to hide it and it looks so much better now.

What varieties are yours foolishpleasure? Chill hours usually happen between 32-45 degrees Fahrenheit. Some Northern Highbush can take temperatures below -20F.While others,like Rabbiteyes and Southern Highbush need a somewhat warmer climate or protection against extreme cold. Each Blueberry plant needs a certain amount of time to rest at the chill temperature and every variety is usually designated with a number of hours. A garage is okay to bring them into during the winter as long as it's under 45 degrees F or yes,they can be covered.Even snow can work.I'd probably use some type of mulch around them also or bury the container in the ground. Brady

I'm in NYC too. After scouring the net last year, here is what I found. Gurney's Premium/Premier Blueberry Botanical Name: Vaccinium A-257 Medium-size, blue-purple berries have a crisp texture that improves with refrigeration. Sweet enough that you don't even need to add sugar! Ideal for home gardens, this blueberry has no significant pest or disease problems and is very hardy. Shrubs grow 4-6 ft. with glossy green foliage that turns red in the fall. Zones: 4 – 8 Height: 4 - 6 feet Spacing: 6 feet. Spread: 4 - 6 feet Full Sun Self pollinating, but plant another variety for better yields Plant at the same depth as in the nursery. Yield: In normal (well cared for) conditions you can expect somewhere between 11 - 14 pints of fruit Yellow-white flowers, 1/4 inch blossoms Foliage: Medium green, turning glossy-reddish foliage in the Fall Blooms: Spring - May. Small to medium sized berries, popping crisp texture, deep dusky blue-purple color, firm and round. Blueberry plants can talk three to four years to bear fruit. Upright bush Vigorous growth rate. Soil Requirements: Acidic, moist soil with lots of organic matter and very sandy. ph 4.5 - 5.5. Prune out leggy small twigs for better berries. Comments: Unique and by far the best flavor of any blueberry, sweet, with a hint of peach flavor, popping crisp, even better with refrigeration. When fully mature, these large vigorous plants are absolutely loaded with fruit.