DESCRIPTION: The hardiest highbush blueberry, produces amazing crops of sweet dark blue fruit in early summer, pretty bell-shaped flowers in spring, with a bushy, rounded habit. Requires cross pollination with another variety. Prefers moist, acidic well-drained soil.

BOTANICAL NAME: Vaccinium sp. 'Northland'
AVERAGE MATURE HEIGHT: 1 Meter
AVERAGE MATURE SPREAD: 1 Meter
SUN EXPOSURE: Full sun
FLOWER COLOUR: White
FLOWERING TIME: Spring
FOLIAGE COLOUR: Green
COLD HARDINESS: Zone 3 ( Should survive up to -39.9° Celsius )
WATER NEEDS: Average to moist
OTHER FEATURES: Attracts Birds, Edible Fruit, Fall Colour

Ornamental Features

Northland Blueberry is primarily grown for its highly ornamental fruit. It features an abundance of magnificent sweet blue berries from early to mid summer. It features dainty clusters of white bell-shaped flowers with shell pink overtones hanging below the branches in mid spring. It has green foliage throughout the season. The glossy oval leaves turn an outstanding orange in the fall. The smooth yellow bark adds an interesting dimension to the landscape.

The berries are most often used in the following ways:

• Fresh Eating
• Cooking
• Baking
• Preserves
• Freezing

Landscape Attributes

Northland Blueberry is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This is a relatively low maintenance shrub, and usually looks its best without pruning, although it will tolerate pruning. It is a good choice for attracting birds to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Northland Blueberry is recommended for the following landscape applications:

• Orchard/Edible Landscaping

Planting & Growing

Northland Blueberry will grow to be about 5 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 5 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 30 years. This variety requires a different selection of the same species growing nearby in order to set fruit.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It is very fussy about its soil conditions and must have sandy, acidic soils to ensure success, and is subject to chlorosis (yellowing) of the leaves in alkaline soils. It is quite intolerant of urban pollution, therefore inner city or urban streetside plantings are best avoided, and will benefit from being planted in a relatively sheltered location. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selection of a native North American species.