Vaccinium corymbosum Berkeley

Vaccinium corymbosum 'Berkeley' is a good variety of blueberry producing large sweet fruits. This mid-season variety produces tasty sweet fruits that ripen in July-August. It forms a vigorous bush that produces pretty little flowers in May-June and its foliage turns beautiful red colours in autumn. Resistant to cold, it is relatively easy to grow in non-calcareous soil and requires little maintenance. Even though this variety is self-fertile, fruiting is even more abundant if another variety is planted nearby.

The Blueberry bush belongs to the Ericaceae family, mainly known in the garden for its many ornamental genera. Vaccinium corymbosum, native to North America, is the one cultivated in gardens for its abundance and quality of fruiting. It is an extremely cold-resistant bush with deciduous foliage that falls in autumn. It is grown in very acidic soil (does not tolerate limestone), in a semi-shaded exposure, for example in the morning sun.

The 'Berkeley' variety is quite old, but still a reliable choice. It forms a dense bush with a semi-erect and spreading habit, reaching generally 1.8m (6ft), even 2m (7ft) tall and 1.3 to 1.5m (4 to 5ft) wide. The foliage consists of fairly dark green elliptical and pointed leaves. Its arching branches take on sumptuous autumn colours in shades of red, capable of rivalling many purely ornamental plants. Flowering occurs in May-June, in the form of small white bell-shaped flowers grouped in pendulous clusters at the ends of the stems. The flowers then develop into somewhat flattened, fairly large, light blue pruinose berries, about 1.5cm (1in) in diameter.

Blueberries are low in calories but high in nutritional value: they are rich in vitamins A, B, and C, calcium, and iron. They contain pigments (anthocyanins) that improve night vision. Sweet and delicious to eat fresh, these blueberries have relatively thin skin that encourages consumption in delicious pies or muffins, as well as jams or jellies. The fruit can be stored for about ten days after picking and can be frozen for longer preservation.

The 'Berkeley' Blueberry bush can be planted in a group with other varieties of Blueberry bushes if you want to ensure abundant harvests, but you can also create an area of small fruits with other bushes with similar needs. You can thus succumb to the delicious taste of the many varieties of Raspberry bushes available on the market. Or, integrate your blueberry bush into a bed of purely decorative ericaceous plants. For example, Andromeda polifolia 'Compacta', a miniature bush with beautiful pink bells from April to June, will be perfect at the edge of the bed at the foot of 'Berkeley'. Its glaucous foliage will create a beautiful effect in autumn when our blueberry bush turns bright red!