We would like to grow blueberries but don’t have room in our garden. Can we grow them as part of our landscape?

With a profusion of white and pink blossoms in spring, dark green foliage in summer, and fiery red leaves in fall, blueberry bushes can add year-round beauty to your landscape. If you select the right varieties, you also can harvest tasty and vitamin-rich berries for a truly edible landscaping experience.

Blueberry bushes, however, do not do well everywhere. If you are interested in growing blueberries in your landscape, consider the following recommendations.

Select only varieties recommended for our area. These varieties are cold-hardy and likely to bloom after the threat of frost has passed locally. If you live at higher elevations or in more exposed areas, you will also want to select varieties that ripen before cooler weather returns in fall.

When selecting varieties, consider the size of the bush at maturity and available space in your landscape. Northern highbush blueberries, the most productive type of blueberry in the Pacific northwest, can reach 6 to 8 feet high. They are best used as a focal point in your landscape where there is lots of room.

Half-high blueberries and dwarf and semi-dwarf blueberries (sometimes called ornamental) are smaller plants, topping out at about 4 feet. They can be used in mixed borders and groupings of plants.

Plant blueberries in full sun in a well-drained acidic soil (pH 4.5-5.5), high in organic matter. Before planting, test the soil at the site. The soil around many homes has been replaced with non-native soil that has unpredictable characteristics. If the soil is not within the desired acidity range, amend it with elemental sulfur before planting. The necessary amount of sulfur will depend on the starting pH and soil texture; clay soil requires more sulfur than sandy soil to reach the desired pH range.

Do not plant blueberry bushes near concrete structures such as sidewalks and foundations. These structures leach lime, making the soil more alkaline and less hospitable for blueberries.

Plant more than one variety of the same type of blueberry for cross pollination. Although most blueberry bushes are self-fertile, cross-pollination (pollination by another variety of the same blueberry type) results in increased berry size and yield in all types of blueberries. Half-high blueberries require a cross-pollinator.

Be aware of the pruning requirements for the type of blueberry you are growing. Northern highbush varieties require the annual removal of older, non-productive canes to allow the emergence of new canes that will reinvigorate the plant.

Because half-high, dwarf, and semi-dwarf blueberries are more compact plants with naturally shorter side branches, most sources suggest removing only dead, damaged, and diseased wood on an annual basis with these varieties. When fruit production falls, about every three to four years, the entire bush is cut back to a height of 6 to 12 inches to rejuvenate the plant.

Be careful when using herbicides to kill weeds in the landscape or lawn. The active ingredient in some products may drift onto blueberry plants, causing damage. Avoid using glyphosate, phenoxy-containing 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) herbicides, and lawn fertilizers containing the ester form of 2,4-D anywhere near blueberry plants.

If you want to harvest berries, protect your bushes from birds and deer. Lightweight plastic netting with a small mesh size is the most effective approach for birds. Lay the netting over the entire bush and secure it to the ground to prevent birds from flying beneath the netting and getting trapped. Fences are the best method for exclusion of deer, but netting is a suitable alternative when it’s not possible to fence the entire area.

For more information on selecting and maintaining blueberries see “Growing Blueberries in Your Home Garden” (EC 1304) available for free at https://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog/pub/ec-1304-growing-blueberries-your-home-garden.

Green Thumb series

At 1 p.m. on April 10, Clallam County Noxious Weed Coordinator, Christina St. John will present “Identification and Control of Noxious Weeds” at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 510 E Park Ave in Port Angeles.

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Jeanette Stehr-Green is a WSU-certified Clallam County Master Gardener and has many years’ experience growing berries of all types on the North Olympic Peninsula.

Photo by Gerald Holmes, Strawberry Center, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, Bugwood.org| Blueberry blossoms in spring.