Sunshine Blue Blueberries

I don't know if I'm truly obsessed, but I am definitely not very disciplined when it comes to plants.  For instance, today, I went to Lowes to purchase a Christmas present for my husband, which I did.  But of course I had to stray to the garden section...afterall, I can check out in that department too!  While browsing the various blooms, I noticed a small shelf of blueberries.  Hmmmmm...I'd never considered blueberries.  Well, it didn't take long for me to decide that my family would thank me once this wonderful little shrub started producing its yummy fruit!  So, I purchased it, along with my husband's gift.  I just finished my research...thank goodness the Sunshine Blue variety grows in SE Florida, zone 9B!!!!  So, here's what I found out about Vicinium Angustifolium:

The Sunshine Blue blueberry is a dwarf lowbush variety requiring full sun and low chill hours (150 hours).  It reaches to 3' in height and needs very acidic (4.5 or below) and moist soil.  It  produces dainty little white / whitish-pink blooms in mid-spring followed by blueberry clusters.  The foliage turns a pretty reddish color in the fall followed by a blue-green evergreen leaf for winter.  The Sunshine Blue is hardy in zones 5a-10b.  This variety is also compact and self fertile.

The health benefits are worth adding them to your garden.  Blueberries contain potassium, iron, vitamin C, dietary fiber, condensed tannins, vitamin E, and manganese.  They assist in the overall better health of memory retention, lowering risk factors of some cancers, provide antioxidant and anti-inflamatory properties, the promotion of urinary tract, improved vision, clearing arteries, strenthening blood vessels and promoting weight control.  Of course, I have no medical training...this information is widely published on the internet.

I haven't decided where to plant this lovely specimen...either in the ground along the fencerow or in a container.  Either way, I'm excited about the possibility of adding yet another fruit to my tropical garden...bananas, muscadine grapes, brown turkey figs, navel oranges, Ponderosa lemons, Meyers lemons, and mangoes.  YUM!!!!!!!    

Tags

Sunshine Blue blueberries, fruit, shrub, bird attracting