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Recommended Blueberry Varieties for Home Gardens

Northern Highbush • Southern Highbush • Rabbiteye

Northern Highbush - (Central and Northern Arkansas)

Duke - A very early ripening type that blooms relatively late. Bush is upright and open. Fruit is medium-sized and firm with good flavor. Ripens in mid-late May in central Arkansas.

Collins - A productive variety with medium-sized fruit which ripens after Duke. Fruit has good flavor. Maintenance of plant vigor in older plantings has been a problem in some instances.

Blueray - The fruit is large, dark blue, and firm with good flavor ripening in mid-season. Consistently productive but may overproduce if not pruned regularly. Has an upright-spreading growth habit and is very hardy. Heavy bearing canes tend to droop onto the row middles.

Bluecrop - The most widely grown variety in the world. Produces numerous medium-large, firm berries ripening in mid-season. Tends to overproduce if not pruned regularly. Its flavor is good.

Elliott - Plants are very productive. Considered the latest of all varieties with fruit ripening in late June in Northwest Arkansas. Also, berry is not fully ripe when it first turns blue. Fruit is medium-sized and has a mild flavor, but is very firm and stores well. Plant is upright and somewhat bushy.

Southern Highbush - (Central and Southern Arkansas)

Legacy - Ripens approximately June 1 in Clarksville. The fruit size is medium with superior flavor. The plant is vigorous with upright growth. Yields are high. Bud break and bloom are earlier than Summit or Ozarkblue so this variety should be grown on superior sites only.

Summit - Summit’s area of adaptation is similar to Ozarkblue. The fruit is large and ripens approximately June 7 in Clarksville. Berries are sweet and flavorful; maybe the best flavor of all blueberries tested. Yields have been high in research trials; 8 - 10 pounds per plant on four- and five-year-old plants. The plant has moderate vigor. Bud break and bloom are earlier than Ozarkblue. Consistent cropper.

Ozarkblue - Ozarkblue was released from the University of Arkansas in 1996. Ozarkblue is adapted to the traditional rabbiteye production areas of Arkansas. The fruit size is large and ripens in Clarksville on approximately June 10. The flavor is sweet and subacid. Yields have been very high in research plots; 15 pounds per plant on four- and five-year-old plants. The plant has moderate to high vigor. Ozarkblue breaks bud and blooms later than other southern highbush and rabbiteye varieties so it is less prone to spring frosts. Consistent cropper.

Rabbiteye - (Central and Southern Arkansas)

Climax - Ripens early over a short period. Fruit size is medium and flavor is good. Growth is upright and spreading. Frost risk is rather high.

Premier - Ripens early. Growth is vigorous and upright. The fruit is large with excellent quality. The plant is very productive.

Brightwell - Ripens mid-season and over a long period. Growth is vigorous and upright. The fruit is large with excellent quality. The plant is very productive with vigorous and upright growth.

Tifblue - Ripens mid-late season. Berry size is small-medium and plants are very productive. An older, traditional variety which is still common in commercial production.

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