Blueberries! There's a variety for every taste and almost every growing condition. Whether you're looking for fruit for your pies, an ornamental shrub for your patio, or an ultra-hardy variety for cold climates, there's a cultivar for you.
This guide presents a selection of proven varieties, sorted by harvest period, to help you plan for a continuous supply of fresh fruit.
Remember that to ensure an abundant harvest, it is essential to plant at least two different cultivars to encourage cross-pollination. To learn more about planting and care, check out our complete guide on how to grow blueberries.
Early-Season Varieties: The First Flavours of Summer
Start your harvest season as early as the beginning of July with these fast-ripening varieties.
'Duke' Blueberry
'Duke' is a popular and reliable choice. Its late flowering allows it to avoid spring frosts, but its fruit ripens early, providing one of the first harvests of the season. It offers a consistent production of medium-sized berries with a mild and pleasant flavour, and they store very well.
- Plant Type: Highbush
- Hardiness Zone: 4
- Height x Width: 1.5 m x 1.2 m
- Ideal for: Early and reliable harvests, fresh eating.
'Patriot' Blueberry
'Patriot' is a bushy variety with excellent hardiness and high productivity, making it an ideal choice for cold regions or slightly heavier soils. This vigorous, open-habit plant produces very large berries early in the season that are firm, medium blue, and very sweet. The fruit size tends to decrease as the season progresses. Its magnificent orange autumn foliage adds to its ornamental appeal.
- Plant Type: Highbush
- Hardiness Zone: 3
- Height x Width: 1.5 m x 1.2 m
- Ideal for: Heavy soils, cold regions, early harvests.
'Polaris' Blueberry
'Polaris' is known for its highly aromatic fruit and compact size, making it a perfect candidate for growing in a pot on a balcony or patio. It's an excellent choice for small spaces.
- Plant Type: Half-High (hybrid)
- Hardiness Zone: 3
- Height x Width: 1 m x 1 m
- Ideal for: Container growing, aromatic flavour, small gardens.
- Fruit: Medium-sized, firm, with an exceptional flavour.
Mid-Season Varieties: The Heart of the Harvest
These varieties produce abundantly from mid-July to mid-August and often form the foundation of a blueberry patch.
'Chippewa' Blueberry
'Chippewa' is a vigorous plant with an upright, compact habit, known for its very good hardiness and productivity. Its very pale blue flesh is particularly sweet, making it a delight to eat fresh and an excellent choice for cold regions.
- Plant Type: Highbush
- Hardiness Zone: 3
- Height x Width: 1.4 m x 1 m
- Ideal for: Superior flavour, freezing, cold regions.
- Fruit: Firm, medium to large in size.
'Northland' Blueberry
A champion of hardiness and productivity, 'Northland' is a sure bet for northern climates. It's a very vigorous and dense plant that sends out many suckers, which means it requires a bit more time for pruning and picking.
- Plant Type: Highbush
- Hardiness Zone: 3
- Height x Width: 1.4 m x 1.2 m
- Ideal for: Jams, baking, extreme cold resistance.
- Fruit: Medium-sized, firm, pale blue, with a rich and excellent flavour.
'Northblue' Blueberry
Compact and ultra-productive, 'Northblue' is perfect for small spaces or gardens where a protective snow cover is desired. It sends out many suckers, allowing it to fill its space well.
- Plant Type: Half-High (hybrid)
- Hardiness Zone: 3
- Height x Width: 1.2 m x 1 m
- Ideal for: Small gardens, container growing, intense flavour.
- Fruit: Very large for its size, firm, dark blue, and with a very good flavour.
'North Country' Blueberry
This fast-growing blueberry bush is ideal for those seeking the authentic taste of wild blueberries in an easy-to-grow format. Its foliage turns a magnificent bright red in the autumn.
- Plant Type: Half-High (hybrid)
- Hardiness Zone: 3
- Height x Width: 0.6 m x 0.9 m
- Ideal for: Borders, container growing, wild blueberry flavour.
- Fruit: Small, dark blue in colour, sweet and flavourful.
'Bluecrop' Blueberry
Often considered the industry standard, 'Bluecrop' is known for its great reliability, versatility, and good drought resistance. It's a dependable choice that performs well year after year.
- Plant Type: Highbush
- Hardiness Zone: 4
- Height x Width: 1.5 m x 1.5 m
- Ideal for: Large harvests, all-purpose use, reliability.
- Fruit: Large, light blue, firm, with a slightly tart flavour.
'Pink Popcorn' Blueberry
As beautiful as it is tasty, this hardy and compact cultivar surprises with its unique fruit. The plant is covered in white flowers in the spring, and its foliage turns a vibrant red in the autumn, adding to its appeal.
- Plant Type: Highbush
- Hardiness Zone: 4
- Height x Width: 1.5 m x 1.5 m
- Ideal for: Originality, visual appeal, fresh eating.
- Fruit: A creamy pink when ripe, the berries are very flavourful.
'Peach Sorbet®' Blueberry
A true gem for patios, this dwarf blueberry bush is spectacular all year long. Its main appeal is its changing foliage: new leaves emerge peach-coloured, turn to emerald green in the summer, and then to deep purple in the autumn.
- Plant Type: Dwarf (ornamental)
- Hardiness Zone: 5 (container growing recommended in cold regions)
- Height x Width: 0.6 m x 0.6 m
- Ideal for: Container growing, small balconies, ornamental appeal.
- Fruit: Offers a nice harvest of medium-sized sweet berries.
Late-Season Varieties: Extending the Pleasure
Stretch the blueberry season to the end of summer and even into early autumn with these cultivars.
'Elliot' Blueberry
The perfect cultivar to have fresh blueberries late in the season. The plant is large and vigorous, making it one of the last to produce.
- Plant Type: Highbush
- Hardiness Zone: 4
- Height x Width: 1.8 m x 1.5 m
- Ideal for: Extending the season, pies and baking.
- Fruit: Medium-sized and firm, with a tart flavour that sweetens with maturity.
'Last Call®' Blueberry
As its name suggests, this is your "last call" for fresh blueberries. It is an excellent companion for the 'Elliot' blueberry, improving the production of both varieties if planted nearby.
- Plant Type: Highbush
- Hardiness Zone: 4
- Height x Width: 1.5 m x 1.5 m
- Ideal for: Autumn harvest, late-season pollination.
- Fruit: Large, firm, and sweet.
By combining early, mid-season, and late varieties, you can enjoy fresh blueberries from the garden for many weeks. Happy gardening and happy harvesting!
