Blueberry : Sunshine Blue

Medium, rich, sweet flavored berries for gardens from San Diego to Seattle

Chill Hours: 150

For gardens from San Diego to Seattle, Sunshine Blue has it all. This semi-dwarf, versatile evergreen blueberry features showy hot pink flowers that fade to white in spring, yielding large crops of delicious berries. Sunshine Blue tolerates higher pH soils better than many other blueberries and it is self-pollinating. The low chilling requirement of 150 hours makes it suitable for Southern California, but we find it is surprisingly cold-hardy and a wonderful addition to patios and gardens in the Pacific Northwest. Upright, compact bush reaching 3' tall, with blue-green and burgundy foliage in fall. Medium, rich, sweet flavored berries.

Ericaceae Vaccinium corymbosum

This is an example of the timeline you would see based on your growing conditions.

Blueberry: Southern Highbush

Sunshine Blue

Southern Highbush blueberries are hybrids of the Northern Highbush blueberry (V. corymbosum) with various southern species (V. ashei , V. darrowi). They are more tolerant of heat and mild winters than the above and do well in warmer and drier areas. They are also less fussy about soil conditions. They are a fairly recent development but have had a big impact because they greatly increase the area where blueberries can be grown.

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Basics

Ease of Growing: Moderate
Grown as: Perennial
Growing Habit: Bush
Hardiness: Hardy

Blueberries are generally quite hardy. In fact, they require a certain number of "chill hours" to fruit properly the following season.
Crops: Spring Transplant
Growing Season: Short, Long
Cultivar Type: Mid-Season
Growing Conditions: Cold, Cool, Warm, Hot

Blueberries grow in acidic, well drained soil. However, this particular variety can tolerate soils with a high pH.
Outdoor Growing Temp: 45°F - 90°F
Min Outdoor Soil Temp: 35°F

Plant your blueberries outdoors anytime the ground is not frozen (above 32˚ F)
Start Indoors: No
Start Outdoors: No
Light: Sun: min. 6 hours daily (Cold, Cool, Warm)

Blueberries prefer full sun, but will tolerate light shade (they may be less productive in shade but will still produce some fruit).

Part shade (Warm, Hot)

In very hot climates they may benefit from light shade.
Water: Moderate

Blueberries require constant moisture for maximum productivity. They are actually quite drought tolerant, though in dry situations they will produce less and grow more slowly.
Feeder: Moderate

Blueberries are adapted to grow on acidic soils that are fairly poor and they don't need a lot of NPK nutrients. However, they will often be more productive if fed occasionally.
Suitability: Tolerates light frost, Needs lots of space
Small Gardens?: No
Containers?: Yes, but will need a large one, like a half wine barrel

This variety of blueberry can grow to 3' tall, and would be well suited for a container. It is possible to grow them in a large pot with a wide diameter, but you would need to provide adequate support as well.
Attracts beneficial insects?: No
Color: Gray-blue
Fruit Size: 0.25 - 0.5"
Plant Height: 36.0 - 48.0"
Plant Diameter: 30.0 - 40.0"
Hardiness Zone: 5-10
Disease Resistance
Taste Profile: Medium, rich, sweet flavored berries.
Rotation Group: Perennial

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Plant Guide

Blueberry : Sunshine Blue

Medium, rich, sweet flavored berries for gardens from San Diego to Seattle

Sunshine Blue

Basics