Luckily the dips into the 20’s we had in March, didn’t harm the blueberries as much as Peach or Apple. We should have plenty…
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It’s been having a hard time growing through the deer pressure. The berries are nice and it’s very early which makes up a lot for it being slow to really get going and produce a lot. I’m most likely going to plant another one in a more direct sun location that’s also a bit safer from deer. I can’t say it’s done any better or worse than most of my blueberries though, Premier is the only one so far to really put on some good size and flourish. The others I think will need a bit still.
So, inconclusive, ask me again in three or four years.
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Ahah
Ahaha, I’ll be looking forward to it and maybe even reporting back by then as well
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I’m not sure about a wild flavor,but I grew one called Trentberry,which came from Edible Landscaping.The ripe berries were almost black when fully ripe and had an interesting tangy taste.I’m uncertain if this one is the same as Nocturne.
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Do you know if all the “Darrow blueberry” are vaccinium darrowii? Or is there a NHB named Darrow because the few sites I find it on say it’s vaccinium corymbosum. It’s confusing. I would love to get one.
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Darrow is not Darrowii. I have a few Darrows and they make huge fruits
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One of these are Darrow
forgot which though. If i recall correctly from my readings, Chandler is supposed to be the upgrade to Darrow.
Darrow Blueberry Distinction:Darrow (V. darrowii): A native, small shrub ((2-3) feet) commonly called Darrow’s Blueberry, popular in the Southeast for being evergreen, heat-tolerant, and having small, wild-type berries.
Darrow (Cultivar): A distinct, separate northern highbush cultivar (Vaccinium corymbosum ‘Darrow’) known for large, tasty berries and a, at times, later harvest, sometimes confused with the Chandler due to its similar name but different from the V. darrowii species.
I can’t find the link anymore for the lineage information but I’m certain that Darrow cultivar is one of the parents of Chandler. I was going to buy more Darrow but realized this so i bought more Chandler instead.
Also here’s my current list of new types of blueberry lineage if anyone is interested.
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You must mean Darrowii type because regular named Darrow is huge
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We have Vaccinium Darrowii growing sporadically in the wild here. Often easy to spot with a characteristic lighter foliage.
Again. Small Berries. Nice sweet tart pop.
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The Wild ones have been called Darrow Blueberries ages before the cultivated one existed…lol
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Thank you all for the clarification
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I am in Huntsville, and my blueberries seem to be growing about the same as usual, even with the colder spring weather have been having here. I am not sure of the names, but I have several different varieties, so they ripen at a little bit different times.
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Yvonne, Welcome to the forum. All my blueberries taste good as I’m sure yours do also. I also have several varieties to make sure they can be cross pollinated. I’m assuming that your located in Huntsville AL. I’m south of you in Alabaster AL. The Rabbit Eyes do well here in zone 8a.
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Thank you for the welcome. I was invited by Tessie5, and so i just learned about this forum last night.
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My Chandler, Razz, and Bonus NHB plants seem mostly fine. Or not any worse than usual. They were flowering and seemed unphased by the brief freeze. Pink Lemonade and Florida Rose RE plants are looking a little extra crispy. Latter two got moved while dormant, so they probably appreciated being woken up to be frozen again less than the other three.
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It’s fine, like most other blueberries they are fine. In my yard the northern highbush types are a notch more flavorful than any of the southern ones.
All of them produce pretty well, the difference in productivity you read about is probably aimed at commercial growers where a bit more yield can double your final profit once all expenses are subtracted.
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Thanks, that makes a lot of sense
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Nocturne is a cross with Vaccinium darrowii so it should handle the heat reasonably well, though I’ve not grown it myself. For that wild flavour you might also look at Ira, it’s got some V. darrowii in the background too and people seem to rate it for intensity over sweetness. Premier is probably the closest I’ve tasted to a wild blueberry among the common rabbiteyes.
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I really liked my trentberry, tasted as good as blueberries (it’s a huckleberry I think). Going to get a 3rd one (or a different named one maybe) for a spot shaded too much by a large climbing rose. Not growinfg as aggressively as the blueberries, but survived well- lost maybe 3 of 20 some blueberries: frost? poor planting (clay soil drowns them if I get the depth wrong)?
STarted my “third” blueberry patch, have a dozen along the sidewalk/ fence/ street for passersby (where the hucleberries are), another in front of house doing alright though I feared the house foudnation would decrease the soil acidity too much for the ones right by the house, and just put 9 in a back yard area not full yet. Around two sour cherry trees.
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Interesting. I had to goggle trendberry to find out what it was. Correct me if I’m wrong. It has about 1/2" fruit and is a cross between a huckleberry and a southern type blueberry and has a great taste.