Berries of Blue

Add a late splash of that elusive garden color with these fruiting plants

- DARYL BEYERS

True blue is not a common color in the garden.

The list of plants with true blue flowers runs short compared to those with purple, red, yellow or white blooms. Perhaps this scarcity is why gardeners love big blue hydrangeas, long to grow Himalayan poppy or, like me, appreciate the common chicory weed (Cichorium intybus) that grows along rural roads.

With blue being so special, why not find another source for it among the plants we grow? Let's look at trees, shrubs and vines that bear blue fruits.

True Blueberries

What better place to start than with the eponymous blueberry (Vaccinium)? There are three main types of this shrub to choose from.

The first—and most delectable—is highbush blueberry (V. corymbosum; USDA Zones 5–8). The key to growing this species is getting the soil right. Native to bogs and lowlands of eastern North America, it performs best in medium to wet, acidic (pH 4.8 to 5.2), well-mulched soil and full to part-day sun. Flowers emerge mid-spring, and once pollinated they produce half- to one-inch berries that ripen into summer. Plant more than one bush, because cross-pollinated plants tend to produce more fruit.

(New shrubs, however, should be deflowered during their first season in the garden, to direct their energy into establishing vigorous roots.) True to its name, highbush blueberry can easily grow 10 feet tall and wide, making it an excellent option for a hedgerow.