Blueberries
Types and Varieties of Blueberries
Blueberries span several major groups—northern highbush, southern highbush, rabbiteye, lowbush, and half‑high—each adapted to different climates, chill requirements, and soil conditions. Choosing the right type affects not only winter survival and bloom timing, but also berry size, flavor, harvest window, and long‑term plant vigor.
Soil acidity is the defining factor for success. Most blueberries thrive in acidic soils around pH 4.5–5.5, supported by organic mulches, consistent moisture, and careful nutrient management. Matching cultivar chill needs to your local winter climate further improves flowering and yield reliability.
This guide compares blueberry types and popular varieties by climate fit, soil requirements, pollination needs, and growth habit—helping gardeners and growers select plants for beds, containers, tunnels, and Crop Circle layouts.
Blueberries are grouped by climate adaptation, chill requirements, and growth habit. Choosing the right type ensures reliable flowering, proper fruit set, and long-term vigor.
Last but not least, the Half-high Blueberries are hybrid varieties bred for extreme cold hardiness and compact growth habit. Combining the fruit quality of the Northern Highbush with the cold-resistance of the Lowbush, these plants offer the best of both worlds. Northcountry, Northsky, and Polaris are just a few examples of these compact, cold-hardy blueberries perfect for small gardens or containers.
The world of blueberries is vast and varied. Whether you live in a cool northern climate or a hot southern region, there's a blueberry type and variety ready to thrive in your garden.
Northern Highbush Blueberries are widely grown due to their delicious flavor, larger berry sizes, and adaptability to cooler climates. Here are some varieties:
Bluecrop: Known for its large, sweet berries and reliable yield, Bluecrop is one of the most widely grown blueberry varieties.
Jersey: An old favorite, Jersey produces medium-sized berries with a sweet, rich flavor. It is known for its late-season harvest and cold hardiness.
Duke: Duke offers an early harvest of large, firm, and light blue berries. It is a highly productive variety and cold hardy.
Patriot: Noted for its large, flavorful berries, Patriot also boasts excellent cold hardiness and a robust root system that adapts to different soil types.
Chandler: Renowned for its exceptionally large berries and prolonged harvest, Chandler provides a steady supply of sweet, juicy blueberries throughout the season.
Spartan: Spartan is cherished for its big, high-quality berries and delectable taste, but it requires well-drained, acidic soil to thrive.
Blueray: Blueray is a popular choice for its large, sweet berries and vibrant fall foliage. It's also a reliable and heavy producer.
Elliott: One of the latest ripening varieties, Elliott provides a long picking season and small to medium, firm berries with a mildly sweet flavor.
Brigitta: Brigitta is known for its late-season, high-quality berries and good shelf life. It's also appreciated for its high yield.
Sunrise: As its name implies, Sunrise offers an early harvest of medium-sized, sweet-tasting berries.
Blueberry yield depends on plant spacing, variety type, and management. Use these calculators to plan plant counts, bed layout, and realistic harvest expectations for gardens and small farms.
Estimate yield per blueberry plant and scale up.
Plan blueberry beds, rows, and containers.
Tip: Cross‑pollinating compatible varieties often increases berry size and total yield.
Southern Highbush Blueberries have been developed to thrive in warmer, more temperate climates. Here are some popular varieties:
Legacy: This variety produces a large, sweet berry with a slightly tart flavor. It's known for its prolonged harvest season.
Jubilee: Jubilee is appreciated for its dependable yield of medium-sized, sweet berries. It's also popular for its attractive fall foliage.
O'Neal: O'Neal offers an early-season harvest of large, sweet, and light blue berries. It's one of the best-tasting Southern Highbush varieties.
Misty: Known for its early, heavy crops, Misty provides large, sweet, and firm berries. It also showcases attractive pink and white spring flowers.
Sunshine Blue: This variety is popular for home gardens because of its compact size and ornamental appeal. Sunshine Blue offers medium-sized, sweet and tangy berries.
Sharpblue: Sharpblue is a reliable, widely adapted variety, producing firm, good-sized berries over an extended period.
Southmoon: Southmoon is a late-midseason variety prized for its large, flavorful berries. It performs best in areas with mild winters.
Star: As its name suggests, Star shines for its large, light blue, and exceptionally sweet berries. It's an early-season variety.
Reveille: Reveille delivers an early harvest of medium-sized, light blue, and mildly sweet berries. It's noted for its adaptability and disease resistance.
Camellia: This new variety is valued for its firm, large, and exceptionally sweet berries. Camellia is a late-season variety with an extended harvest.
Lowbush Blueberries, also known as wild blueberries, are native to northeastern North America and known for their intense flavor and smaller berry size. Here are a couple of well-known varieties:
Top Hat: A dwarf variety that only reaches about a foot in height, Top Hat is perfect for small spaces and container gardening. It produces small, intensely flavored berries.
Putte: Originating from Sweden, Putte offers an abundance of small, tasty berries. It's a compact variety that's suitable for colder climates.
Burgundy: This variety gets its name from the striking burgundy color its leaves turn in the fall. Its small berries are deep blue and full of flavor.
Brunswick: This low-growing variety is known for its sweet, light blue berries and bright red fall foliage.
Sunshine Blue: Although technically a semi-dwarf hybrid, Sunshine Blue has characteristics that make it similar to lowbush varieties. It's compact, tolerant of a range of soil conditions, and produces small, tangy berries.
Rabbiteye Blueberries are native to the southern United States and are known for their heat tolerance and large berries. Here are several popular varieties:
Tifblue: This is the most universally grown Rabbiteye variety due to its reliable yield and adaptability. It produces medium to large berries that ripen mid-late season.
Powderblue: As the name suggests, this variety produces light blue, medium-sized berries. It ripens late in the season and has a high yield.
Brightwell: A variety known for its cold hardiness and adaptability, Brightwell produces large, light blue berries that are great for baking or fresh eating.
Climax: This variety is appreciated for its early ripening, making it one of the first Rabbiteye varieties to produce berries in the season. It offers a high yield of large, sweet berries.
Woodard: Known for its large and particularly sweet berries, Woodard is an early to mid-season variety.
Premier: Premier produces large, light blue berries with excellent flavor. It is a high-yielding, early ripening variety.
Centurion: This variety offers medium-sized, dark blue berries with a sweet flavor. It's known for its heavy yields and vigorous growth.
Baldwin: Baldwin is a late-season variety that produces medium-sized berries with a sweet-tart flavor. It is especially prized for its high yields.
Half-high Blueberries are hybrid varieties that have been bred for extreme cold hardiness and compact growth habit. They are a cross between Northern Highbush and Lowbush types, combining the fruit quality of the former with the cold resistance of the latter. Here are some popular Half-high Blueberry varieties:
Northcountry: A variety known for its sweet, wild flavor, Northcountry produces medium-sized berries and has a compact growth habit, making it excellent for small gardens or containers.
Northsky: The most cold hardy of all blueberries, Northsky can withstand temperatures as low as -45 degrees Fahrenheit. It produces small, intensely flavored berries.
Polaris: Early ripening, Polaris offers large, sweet, and light blue berries. It's known for its cold hardiness and compact size.
Chippewa: This variety is valued for its large, sweet berries and high yield. Chippewa is also known for its cold hardiness and compact growth habit.
Northblue: Northblue produces large, dark blue berries with an intense, wild flavor. It's a very cold-hardy variety with a compact growth habit.
St. Cloud: Named after the Minnesota city, St. Cloud is appreciated for its large, sweet berries and impressive cold hardiness.
Superior: As the name suggests, Superior is known for its high yield of large, high-quality berries. It's a late-maturing variety that thrives in cold climates.
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Compare berry varieties, plan spacing, and estimate harvest totals using the guides and calculators below. These links help you move from “which variety?” to “how many plants?” and “how much harvest?”
June-bearing vs everbearing vs day-neutral + selection tips.
Primocane vs floricane + red/black/purple types.
American vs European vs hybrids + climate fit.
Thornless, trailing, primocane types + trellis notes.
Red/white/black/pink currants + selection guide.
Estimate yield per plant and scale up.
Plan rows/beds and forecast total harvest.
Tip: Harvest estimates improve when you track spacing, plant age, and variety type (early/mid/late).
| Type | Climate Fit | Chill Hours | Berry Size | Best Use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Northern Highbush | Cold / Temperate | High | Large | Commercial farms & cold regions |
| Southern Highbush | Warm / Mild | Low–Medium | Large | Low‑chill regions |
| Rabbiteye | Hot / Humid | Low | Medium–Large | Heat‑tolerant production |
| Lowbush | Very Cold | High | Small | Wild flavor & groundcover |
| Half‑High | Extreme Cold | High | Medium | Compact gardens & containers |
Answers to common questions about northern and southern highbush, rabbiteye, lowbush, and half-high blueberry plants—and how to match them to your garden or farm.
Blueberries are grouped into several types based on their growth habit and climate fit: northern highbush (e.g., Bluecrop, Jersey, Duke, Patriot, Chandler), southern highbush (e.g., Legacy, Jubilee, O’Neal, Misty, Sunshine Blue), lowbush or “wild” blueberries (e.g., Top Hat, Putte, Brunswick), rabbiteye (e.g., Tifblue, Powderblue, Brightwell, Climax, Premier), and half-high hybrids (e.g., Northcountry, Northsky, Polaris, Northblue, Superior) that combine cold hardiness with good fruit quality.
For regions with cold winters and reliable chill hours, choose northern highbush varieties such as Bluecrop, Jersey, Duke, Patriot, Chandler, Spartan, Blueray, Elliott or Brigitta. For very cold, exposed sites, compact half-high blueberries like Northcountry, Northsky, Polaris, Chippewa, Northblue, and Superior add extra cold hardiness and work well in smaller gardens or containers.
In areas with mild winters and hot summers, look to southern highbush and rabbiteye types. Southern highbush varieties such as Legacy, Jubilee, O’Neal, Misty, Sunshine Blue, Sharpblue, Southmoon, Star, Reveille, and Camellia are bred for lower chill requirements and warmer conditions. In the deep South, heat-tolerant rabbiteye blueberries like Tifblue, Powderblue, Brightwell, Climax, Woodard, Premier, Centurion, and Baldwin perform especially well once established.
Blueberries prefer acidic soil in the pH range of about 4.5–5.5. Before planting, test your soil and lower the pH with elemental sulfur if needed. Mix in acidic organic materials such as peat moss, pine fines, conifer bark, or well-rotted sawdust. Avoid lime and high-pH irrigation water, which can push pH up and cause nutrient lock-out. Planting into raised, amended beds or large containers makes it easier to maintain the right acidity over time.
Many blueberry cultivars are self-fertile, but yields and berry size usually improve when you plant two or more compatible varieties that bloom at the same time. This is especially true for northern and southern highbush and rabbiteye blueberries. Mixing cultivars such as Bluecrop and Jersey or Tifblue and Powderblue helps bees move pollen between plants and boosts overall production.
Yes. Compact varieties like Top Hat (dwarf lowbush) and Sunshine Blue (a semi-dwarf southern highbush type) are excellent for containers, patios, and small gardens. Use a large pot with drainage holes and fill it with an acidic, peat-based mix blended with pine bark. Keep the container evenly moist with drip irrigation or regular deep watering, and refresh the mulch and top few inches of mix as the plant matures.
Chill hours—the accumulated hours between roughly 32–45°F—help determine whether a variety will flower and fruit reliably in your climate. Northern highbush generally need higher chill, so they suit cooler regions. Southern highbush and rabbiteye blueberries are bred with lower chill requirements, making them better for warm winters. Matching cultivar chill requirements to your local climate is key to avoiding poor bloom or inconsistent crops.
Blueberries have shallow, fibrous roots that prefer even moisture but hate waterlogging. Install drip irrigation or a soaker system to keep the root zone consistently moist, especially during bloom and fruit fill. Apply a 2–4 inch mulch layer of pine needles, wood chips, or shredded bark to conserve water, suppress weeds, and help maintain acidic conditions around the root zone.
Once plants are established, prune during dormancy to maintain a mix of 1–6-year-old canes. Remove weak, low, or crossing shoots, and cut a portion of the oldest canes back to the base each year to stimulate new growth. Light summer touch-up pruning can open the canopy for better light and airflow, improving fruit quality and reducing disease pressure.
In a Crop Circle layout, blueberries can be placed on cooler, well-drained rings with acidified soil and thick organic mulch. Group compatible varieties together to maximize cross-pollination, and route drip laterals so each plant has consistent moisture. Adding bands of pollinator-friendly flowers near your blueberry rings helps attract bees and other beneficial insects, increasing fruit set and yield.
