SCIENTIFIC NAME: Vaccinium corymbosum hybrid 'ZF06-079' PP 23336

COMMON NAME: Bushel and Berry 'Pink Icing' Hybrid Highbush Blueberry

GARDEN SIZE: 2.5-4 feet tall x 3-4 feet wide

GROWTH RATE: Reaches maturity in 6-8 years

USDA ZONE: 5-10

CHILL HOURS: 500

EXPOSURE: Full Sun

WATER & SOIL: Acidic, well-drained soil high in organic matter

HABIT (FORM): Multi-stemmed woody shrub with a compact, rounded form

FOLIAGE: Deciduous with small, blue-green leaves that sport pink and red new growth and turn red to purple in autumn

FLOWERS: Clusters of small, bell-shaped, pink and white flowers

BLOOM TIME: Mid to late spring

HARVEST TIME: Mid summer

POLLENIZATION: This blueberry cultivar is self-fertile and produces some fruit in isolation, but it will produce a better crop with a compatible partner nearby. Plant near at least one other highbush blueberry of a different variety that blooms around the same time to encourage cross-pollenization.

POLLENIZATION PARTNERS: Recommended partners for Pink Icing include other mid-blooming southern highbush cultivars like Cabernet Splash or Bushel and Berry's 'Sapphire Cascade' and 'Silver Dollar'.

FRUIT: Large, powder-blue berries with a somewhat waxy surface and mild, sweet flavor

CARE: When planting, condition the soil in an area twice the diameter of the root ball with peat moss or a soil conditioner like our Earthmix Landscape. Mix soil conditioner with existing soil in a 50/50 ratio.

Mulch with 2-6 inches of straw, wood chips, or other organic matter to help regulate moisture. Leave a gap of a few inches around the trunks to prevent damage to the stems from staying wet.

Blueberry bushes need about an inch of water every 7-10 days, though young bushes need a little more during their first growing season while they establish roots. If not enough rain has fallen, give a deep soak to the soil around the base of the plant once or twice per week. A good rule of thumb is 1 gallon of water per square foot of surface area under the canopy.

Fertilize each spring and fall with Holly-tone or another fertilizer made for acid-loving plants.

Prune in late winter to early spring while the plant is dormant. Remove weak canes and low-growing shoots that will be shaded by other limbs or touch the ground. If desired, cut taller canes down to within arm's reach to make it easier to harvest berries.

When your blueberry bush is about five years old, you may notice older canes becoming less productive. At this stage, begin cutting back 20% of the thick, gray, older branches to ground level each year. This will allow the canes to completely refresh themselves in a five year cycle.

PET SAFETY: May cause gastrointestinal issues in cats and dogs if consumed in large amounts, but not commonly eaten by pets. Always research further if you have concerns, as reactions can occur with anything. Also, remember to check the safety of any fertilizers or pesticides applied to your plants.

USES: Edible berries, container planting, borders, fall color

HISTORY: The Pink Icing cultivar was bred in Lowell, OR in 2006 and patented by Fall Creek Farm and Nursery, Inc in 2013. Pink Icing actually shares the same parents as two other Bushel and Berry offerings, Pink Icing and Silver Dollar. These siblings share a compact stature and red-tinted new growth, but interestingly, Pink Icing grows somewhat larger than either Peach Sorbet or Silver Dollar, while Peach Sorbet is the outlier in terms of lower chill hour requirement, and all three show distinctly different coloring. It's fascinating how much variation can come from the same genetic donors!