Ornamental blueberry bushes make a wonderful addition to the home garden, providing an attractive accent to the landscape regardless of the season. Blueberries deserve to be planted more often strictly for their ornamental qualities.

In early spring blueberry bushes are completely covered with small, white or pink, bell shaped blossoms. The flowers last a week or two, attracting honeybees until they drop to reveal the first signs of the fruit that will grow and ripen over the next several months.

It’s the colorful berries, with some varieties growing as large as grapes, which turn deep blue to decorate the bushes during the late spring and early summer months. Planting more than one variety will increase productivity, lengthen the harvest period, and allow you to enjoy the flavor of various blueberries.

The most intense ornamental display is reserved for the fall when the leaves of the blueberry bushes turn a bright red or orange color. The rich display will last for several weeks as winter approaches.

Finally, even during winter, blueberry plants do their part to enliven the drab landscape with the interesting form of their bare branches, which are often tinged with distinctly red or yellow hues.

Blueberries have much to offer the ornamental edible gardener and we haven’t even factored in the delicious and healthful berries to be harvested each summer. I’ll post a future article describing the best methods for incorporating and growing blueberry bushes in the home landscape.

Other Related Vegetable Gardening Posts:

• Propagating Blueberries and Preserving Past Memories
• Garden Log 4-4-06
• Growing Blueberries
• Garden Log 6-26-08: Summer Arrives All Too Soon
• Top 10 Reasons for Growing Vegetables

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