Walton's Plant Library

Other Names:  Rabbit Eye Blueberry

Description:

A native shrub blueberry that is better adapted to southern climate; tasty blue fruit in summer and excellent fall color; choose cultivars for best fruiting; blueberries need highly acidic, perfectly drained soil, plant with peat moss

Edible Qualities

Tifblue Rabbiteye Blueberry is a medium-sized shrub that is typically grown for its edible qualities. It produces clusters of blue round berries which are usually ready for picking from late spring to early summer. The berries have a sweet taste and a juicy texture.

The berries are most often used in the following ways:

• Fresh Eating
• Cooking
• Baking
• Preserves

Features & Attributes

Tifblue Rabbiteye Blueberry features dainty clusters of white bell-shaped flowers with shell pink overtones hanging below the branches in early spring. It has bluish-green deciduous foliage. The glossy oval leaves turn an outstanding red in the fall. It features an abundance of magnificent blue berries from late spring to early summer.

This 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 plant, and is best pruned in late winter once the threat of extreme cold has passed. It is a good choice for attracting birds to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Aside from its primary use as an edible, Tifblue Rabbiteye Blueberry is sutiable for the following landscape applications;

• Orchard/Edible Landscaping

Planting & Growing

Tifblue Rabbiteye Blueberry will grow to be about 8 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 8 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 is typically grown in a designated area of the yard because of its mature size and spread. It does best in full sun to partial shade. It does best in average to evenly moist conditions, but will not tolerate standing water. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. 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 foliage 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.