Blueberry ‘Misty’

Blueberry 'Misty' (Vaccinium corymbosum 'Misty') is the blueberry for gardeners who do not get a cold winter. It is a low chill southern highbush, so it fruits early and reliably in mild climates where older northern varieties never crop. The bush stays around 1.5m tall and 1.2m wide, small enough to live permanently in a large pot on a balcony.

Why you'll love it

• Fruit without a cold winter. Low chill breeding means it crops in subtropical and warm temperate gardens, not only in cold southern ones.
• An early harvest. 'Misty' is one of the earlier southern highbush varieties, so the berries come in ahead of most.
• Pot sized. At 1.5m by 1.2m it fits a 400mm or larger pot, which also gives you full control of the acidic soil it needs.
• Ornamental as well as productive. White and pink bell flowers in spring, blue green foliage, and bees work it hard.
• Safe around pets. Not toxic to cats or dogs, so a fruiting plant at nose height is no concern.

Where it works best

Pots and balconies. This is the best use for most gardens. A 400mm pot of azalea or berry mix gives you total control of soil acidity, which is the single factor that decides whether a blueberry thrives. Repot with fresh mix every three years.

Small gardens and borders. In the ground it makes a tidy shrub of about 1.5m. Give it a dedicated acidic bed rather than scattering plants through general garden soil. Two or three bushes give a household a steady picking.

Growing blueberries in Australia

Position and climate. Full sun gives the heaviest crop, with afternoon shade welcome in hot inland gardens. It suits subtropical, warm temperate, cool temperate and Mediterranean gardens, is frost hardy, and handles heat better than most blueberries.

Soil. This is where blueberries are won or lost. It needs acidic soil, around pH 4.5 to 5.5, free draining but able to hold moisture. Use a mix made for azaleas, camellias or berries, or acidify a garden bed with elemental sulphur well ahead of planting.

Water and feed. Blueberry roots are fine, shallow and unforgiving of drying out, so water consistently, especially while the fruit is sizing. Mulch with pine bark. Feed an azalea and camellia fertiliser in early spring and again after harvest, and never apply lime.

Pruning. Leave it alone for the first two years beyond removing dead wood. From the third year, cut out the oldest quarter of the canes each winter so young productive wood keeps coming.

What to expect when it arrives

'Misty' is sold here as tube stock, a young plant of roughly 15 to 25cm carrying a few stems. Blueberries establish well from tubes, but be realistic: expect a token handful of berries in the second year and a proper crop from the third. Strip the first season's flowers so the plant puts everything into roots.

Pot it up on arrival into an acidic mix rather than unimproved garden soil. Tubes travel well, with little top growth to damage. Plants are delivered Australia wide, with delivery from $29.95, and 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 fruit tree and berry range
• More edible plants for the home garden
• Plants that live happily in containers

Common questions

Do I need a second blueberry to get fruit?

'Misty' sets fruit on its own, but a second low chill southern highbush nearby lifts both yield and berry size. With room for one plant you will still get a crop.

Why are the leaves yellow with green veins?

That is iron chlorosis, and in blueberries it nearly always means the soil pH has drifted too high. Correct the pH with an acidifying fertiliser or repot into a proper acidic mix rather than reaching for more general fertiliser.

How much winter cold does it need?

Very little. As a low chill southern highbush it needs roughly 200 to 300 chill hours, which most Australian gardens outside the wet tropics comfortably provide.