SCIENTIFIC NAME: Vaccinium hybrid 'Sunshine Blue'

COMMON NAME: Sunshine Blue Southern Highbush Blueberry

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

GROWTH RATE: Reaches maturity in 6-8 years

USDA ZONE: 6-10

CHILL HOURS: 150

EXPOSURE: Full Sun

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

HABIT (FORM): Upright, multi-stemmed woody shrub with a compact, semi-dwarf form

FOLIAGE: Deciduous with blue-green leaves that turn red-orange in autumn; may be evergreen in warmer regions of the southern United States

FLOWERS: Clusters of showy hot pink flower buds that mature to small, bell-shaped, white flowers

BLOOM TIME: Late spring

HARVEST TIME: Early to mid summer

POLLENIZATION: Southern highbush blueberries like Sunshine Blue are self-fertile and produce some fruit in isolation, but they 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 Sunshine Blue include other very early-blooming southern highbush cultivars like Biloxi, Bountiful Blue, and Hello Darlin. The Darrow's evergreen blueberry 'Rosa's Blush' is also a good pollenizer.

FRUIT: Small, dark blue berries with a rich, 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, hedges, borders, fall color

HISTORY: The Sunshine Blue cultivar was developed by Dr. Arthur Elliott in Earleton, FL and released in 1979. It's said that Elliott selected the original seedling because he was fond of its flavor. Sunshine Blue is a southern highbush blueberry, a cross of two of the first ever blueberries in that category: Avonblue and Sharpblue. Southern highbush blueberries were first developed by the University of Florida in the 1970s by crossing northern highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) with various wild blueberries native to the southern U.S. The new cultivars required fewer hours of cool weather than their northern ancestors and produced berries in greater quantities than their native counterparts. The creation of southern highbush blueberries allowed commercial blueberry farming to expand to the American south. Avonblue, Sharpblue, and a third variety called Flordablue were released in 1976 and 1977, and Sunshine Blue followed soon after in 1979.