Blueberry ‘Premier’

Blueberry 'Premier' (Vaccinium ashei 'Premier') is the rabbiteye blueberry to start with if you want fruit rather than a novelty. It grows to about 2m tall and 1.5m wide, carries pink tinged white bells in spring and a heavy crop of large, sweet berries through early summer. Rabbiteye types handle the warmth and humidity that defeat highbush blueberries, which is why this one crops from the subtropics down to cool temperate gardens.

Why you'll love it

• It fruits in warm gardens. Rabbiteye blueberries need far less winter chilling than highbush types, so a Brisbane or Perth garden can crop as well as a southern one.
• Large, sweet berries. 'Premier' is among the better flavoured rabbiteyes and a reliable heavy cropper by three or four years old.
• An edible hedge. At 2m by 1.5m, planted 1.2m apart, it makes a productive informal hedge rather than a lone bush in a corner.
• Pet friendly and good for wildlife. Not toxic to cats or dogs. The spring flowers feed bees and butterflies, the fruit brings in birds, and the leaves turn red and bronze before dropping in autumn.

Where it works best

Pots and balconies. A 400mm pot or larger with an acidic mix suits it well, and a container makes it easy to control soil pH, the one thing blueberries are genuinely fussy about.

Edible hedging. Plant 1.2m apart in a row for a hedge that screens to about 2m and picks by the bucket. Keep it informal, because hard shearing removes the fruiting wood.

Small gardens and feature planting. One bush beside a path earns its place: flowers, fruit, autumn colour and a fine winter outline.

Growing Blueberry 'Premier' in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the heaviest crop, with light afternoon shade in the hottest inland districts. It is frost hardy, so cool temperate gardens are no problem, and it fruits happily through subtropical humidity. Only the wet tropics fail to chill it enough.

Soil. Acidic, between pH 4.5 and 5.5, free draining and high in organic matter. This matters more than anything else you do. On neutral or alkaline soil, grow it in a pot of azalea and camellia mix rather than fighting the garden bed.

Water and feed. Blueberries are shallow rooted and dry out fast. Keep the soil evenly moist through spring and summer, mulch 75mm deep with pine bark, and feed an azalea and camellia fertiliser in early spring and after harvest. Never apply lime.

Pruning. Do almost nothing for three years. After that, remove the oldest quarter of the canes each winter so young productive wood keeps coming through.

What to expect when it arrives

This variety is sold as tube stock: a young rooted plant, usually 15 to 25cm tall, and the economical way to plant a row. Expect a light first crop in the second or third year and a serious one from year four.

Tubes travel well because they are light and compact. Pot them into a 200mm pot of acidic mix for a season before planting out, or plant straight into a prepared bed. Delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95. Every plant is covered by our 30 day healthy plant guarantee.

Plant care guides and related reading

• How to lower soil pH for acid loving plants
• Browse the edible plant range
• Fruit trees for the home garden
• Plants that crop well in containers

Common questions

Do I need a second blueberry for pollination?

'Premier' sets some fruit alone, but rabbiteye blueberries cross pollinate poorly with themselves. Plant a second rabbiteye variety within a few metres and both bushes will carry noticeably heavier crops.

How do I stop birds taking the fruit?

Net the bush once the berries begin to colour, using a fine white netting that birds cannot become tangled in. Without netting you will share most of the crop.

Can I keep it in a pot permanently?

Yes, and many growers get better results that way because the pH stays under control. Use a 400mm or larger pot of azalea and camellia mix, and root prune every three years.