Blueberry ‘Sunshine Blue’

Blueberry 'Sunshine Blue' (Vaccinium corymbosum 'Sunshine Blue') is the blueberry to plant if you live somewhere warm and have been told blueberries need a cold winter. It is a low chill southern highbush that fruits reliably in subtropical and warm temperate gardens, stays compact at about 1.2m tall and 90cm wide, and is self fertile, so one plant on a balcony will still crop.

Why you'll love it

• It fruits in warm gardens. Low chill breeding means it sets fruit where traditional highbush varieties simply refuse to.
• One plant is enough. Self fertile, so there is no need to buy a pollinating partner to get a crop.
• Compact and pot sized. At 1.2m by 90cm it suits a large pot, a courtyard or the front of a border rather than needing an orchard row.
• Good looking out of season. Pink spring flowers, blue green semi evergreen foliage, and a neat rounded habit for an ornamental bed.
• Pet friendly. Not toxic to cats or dogs, and the flowers bring in bees and butterflies.

Where it works best

Pots, balconies and courtyards. This is its best use. A 400mm to 500mm pot of acidic mix gives full control over soil pH, the hardest part of growing blueberries in Australian garden beds.

Small gardens. A productive fruiting shrub under 1.5m fits where a citrus or stone fruit tree never would, and it needs no partner beside it.

Borders and edging. Grouped at about 80cm apart it makes a low informal edge, pink in spring and fruiting through summer.

Growing blueberries in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun for the heaviest crop, with light afternoon shade in hot inland gardens. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean zones, and is both frost hardy and heat tolerant, a wide range for a fruiting shrub.

Soil. Acidic, pH 4.5 to 5.5, and rich in organic matter. This is not negotiable, and it is why so many blueberries fail in ordinary garden soil. Use an azalea and camellia mix in pots, or work peat, composted pine bark and sulphur through a bed well before planting.

Water and feed. The roots are fine and shallow, so keep moisture even and never let a potted plant dry right out. It handles damp ground better than most fruiting shrubs, though it still wants drainage. Feed with an acidic fertiliser in early spring and again after harvest.

Pruning. Very little for two years. From year three, cut out the oldest quarter of the canes each winter to keep young wood coming, since that is where the best fruit forms.

What to expect when it arrives

It is currently grown in one size, tube stock, and is supplied on backorder against the next crop. Tube blueberries are young plants, usually 15cm to 25cm tall with a few branches. Pot them straight into a 250mm container of acidic mix for their first year rather than putting them out into the garden.

Expect a light crop in the second summer and a real one from the third. Plants are 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 full edible plant range
• Planning a productive fruit and vegetable garden
• More plants that suit pots and containers

Common questions

Do I need a second blueberry for pollination?

No. Sunshine Blue is self fertile, so a single plant sets fruit. A second low chill variety nearby usually lifts the yield and stretches the picking season, but it is optional.

Will it fruit in a warm climate?

Yes, and that is the point of this variety. It needs far fewer cold hours than a traditional highbush blueberry, which makes it one of the few that crop properly in subtropical gardens.

Can I grow it in a pot permanently?

Yes, and most Australian gardeners should. A 400mm to 500mm pot of azalea and camellia mix keeps the soil acidic without fighting your garden's natural pH. Repot every three or four years.