Gems of Maryland’s
Piedmont Region
What better way to celebrate summer than to showcase some of Maryland’s more than 3,000 native plants.
This series explores plants native to the Piedmont Region, which runs from southern New York to northern Alabama. It includes all of Baltimore, Carroll, Frederick, Howard, Montgomery, Baltimore, and Harford counties in Maryland. It extends into Baltimore City and Cecil County, Maryland.
The Northern Highbush Blueberry
Beautiful and tasty
Looking for a beautiful and bountiful shrub? Consider adding the Northern highbush blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum, to your garden. A deciduous shrub, it attracts people, birds and butterflies with its beautiful and delicious flowers and berries. The colorful fall foliage offers an additional bonus.
Blueberry bushes are critical plants. Blueberries are keystone plants, one of 14% of native plants that support 90% of butterfly and moth caterpillar species that terrestrial birds need to feed their young, according to Dr. Doug Tallamay, University of Delaware. These indispensable plants also support many specialist native bee species and wildlife.
Blueberry bushes add beauty and function to any garden. While blueberry bushes can be grown individually and will produce fruit since they self-pollinate, it is best to plant 2 to 3 varieties whose blooming times overlap. The plants will cross pollinate generating a higher yield and larger fruit, according to the Spruce. You can also extend your harvest season from July through mid-September by planting different varieties. (Plant two or three of each variety.)
Blueberries can be grown as part of a native garden or as hedges.
They grow best in full sun or with some shade from afternoon sun. They bloom from May to June. The blossoms are white to pinkish.
They grow from between 6 to 12’ tall and spread from 8 to 12’. They prefer medium to wet sites. Avoid windy and dry sites.
Tips for growing blueberries:
Purchase 2-to-3-year-old plants. Blueberries grow slowly. They will not be fully mature until they are six years old. They will grow for approximately 50 years.
Blueberries like acidic soil, 4.5 to 5.5 pH. Start preparing your soil 6 months before ordering and planting your blueberries. First, test the soil for pH and organic matter and nutrient levels (University of Delaware does testing). If you need to amend the soil, do so in the fall so it has a chance to get worked into the soil.
Plant blueberries as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring in Maryland or one month before the first fall frost (mid-to-late September). For more information about growing blueberries, go to the Spruce or the University of Maryland Extension.
Note: When I planted my highbush and lowbush blueberries seven years ago, I knew nothing about growing blueberries. I now have two lovely, bushy plants. They grow a nice crop that the birds feast on every year (I get one or two). Enjoy, have fun growing them and follow as many of these guidelines as you can without worrying too much.
Vaccinium corymbosum, blueberry flower Howard Co MD Helen Lowe Metzman usgs The photo of a Northern highbush blueberries, V. corymbosum, is courtesy of the University of Maryland. The photo of blueberries is by Helen Lowe Metzman, USGS.
Blueberry flowers offer a lovely harbinger of treats yet to be. Helen Lowe Metzman of the United States Geological Service captured this blossom.