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Northern Shenandoah Valley Master Gardener Association

1 day ago

Incorporating Native Plants in Your Garden – Lowbush Blueberries (Vaccinium pallidum) by EMG JennBlueberries are a welcome sight, both to us and to the birds, who also love them! The caveat with our native blueberries is that they really prefer acidic soils, ideally with sandy or rocky material, according to PlantNoVa Natives. Leaves will yellow and become chlorotic in alkaline soil. This is a one to two-foot shrub, which flowers in March to May, with berries ripening by June to July. Partial sun to full shade is preferable; in the wild they are found in open woods. However, too much shade will lower or even stop fruit production, in which case you may wish to limb up trees to thin the canopy. Blueberries are members of the genus Vaccinium, which hosts more than 35 species native to North America. Interestingly, they have only been cultivated in the United States for the past hundred years – prior to that they were picked in the wild, and distribution was limited. V. pallidum, AKA Blue Ridge Blueberry, is a native deciduous shrub in the Ericaceae (Heath) family. It is native to much of the central and eastern US, and most cultivated blueberries are hybridized from this plant. It spreads by underground runners, and has lovely fall color. Happily, it is also drought tolerant once it is established!Berries ripen on branches over a long period in the summer, making this an important, reliable food source for birds and small mammals (and hungry hikers!). Bird species that eat blueberries include eastern bluebird, tanagers, wild turkey, northern bobwhite, and ruffed grouse; other fruit-specialist birds include American robin, cedar waxwing, gray catbird, northern mockingbird, brown thrasher, orioles, blue jay, northern cardinal, chickadees, finches, and grosbeaks. The flowers of blueberries are visited by a variety of bees, as well as a large range of insects (in many cases, the insect is specialized for eating only members of the Vaccinium genus and their close relatives, and nothing else). And many butterflies and moths use blueberries as a host plant, including Henry’s elfin, spring azure, Harris’s three-spot, decorated owlet, azalea sphinx, pawpaw sphinx, huckleberry sphinx, apple sphinx, and yellow-washed metarranthis. Wild blueberries have a flavor that is not matched by commercial fruit. Pick early and often to enjoy them, or plant the shrubs to enjoy their beauty, and let the birds eat their fill!Photo by Caleb Slemmons, National Ecological Observatory Network, Bugwood.orgJoin us each Tuesday to learn about #NativePlants you can add to your garden. See previous posts at #AddNativePlantsFor more information, see:extension.illinois.edu/blogs/garden-scoop/2019-01-19-history-blueberrymdc.mo.gov/discover-nature/field-guide/lowbush-blueberryextension.umd.edu/resource/hillside-blueberry ... See MoreSee Less

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