Slightly smaller than ’Duke’, blueberry ‘Spartan’ will reach 1.5m in height and spread over time with an upright and bushy habit.

Blueberry ‘Hortblue Petite’ is rather special as it is a new cultivar that has been bred to crop twice in a growing season. Flowering later than others, but often ripening early, it can be an excellent choice for growing in areas where late frosts can present a problem. For fruits to harvest later in the season, blueberry ‘Aurora’ produces large deep blue berries with a rich flavour from August into September. If growing space is limited, then a smaller and more compact blueberry shrub such as ‘Sunshine Blue’ may be more suitable. Growing to a height and spread of 1.5m with a bushy habit, ‘Pink Lemonade’ is a mid- to late-season blueberry with lovely autumnal leaves which turn a deep red before falling for the winter. 8) V. ‘Top Hat’What follows are eleven popular types of blueberries which can be grown in the UK, including some very special RHS AGM recipients. Having received the RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGM), it has proven to perform reliably well. 3) V.‘Berkeley’

As with other container-grown blueberries, it will benefit from a monthly liquid ericaceous feed throughout the growing period. 10) V. ‘Herbert’ Perhaps one of the most readily available blueberries, ‘Duke’ is one of the larger cultivars that can grow to an eventual height of up to 2.5m. After that, prune at any time from November to March, but ideally in late February or early March when the fruit buds can easily be distinguished from leaf buds. Fat buds produce flowers and fruit, while smaller, flatter buds form shoots and leaves – aim to retain branches with lots of fruit buds. I like ‘Berkeley’ as its berries are very sweet,” shares Lorraine Summer, owner of Trehane Nursery, which specialises in blueberry plants. For something totally different, this deciduous blueberry shrub produces blueberries, that are not blue as normal, but pink.A large cultivar with an upright habit, ‘Aurora’ can grow to 2.5m in height and spread when mature if given the right conditions and enough space to grow. More tolerable of soil conditions than others, it can be a good choice for those growing on less-than-ideal ground conditions. 6) V.‘Sunshine Blue’ Fruiting in July and then September, it will produce delicious dark blue berries on a compact shrub that will only grow to an eventual size of 1m high with a 0.75m spread. For a dwarf and compact blueberry that is ideal for containers or the patio, blueberry ‘Top Hat’ is perfect as it will only grow to 50cm tall and wide. Also, they all bear fruit in the summer and are H6 hardy unless otherwise mentioned, meaning they can be grown in any and all areas of the UK throughout the year. 1) V. corymbosum‘Duke’

Native to North America, blueberry shrubs produce delicious fruits and beautiful autumnal foliage and can grow well here in the UK’s climate. 1 The history of blueberries: From Native American staple to domesticated superfood. (2019, January 19). University of Illinois. Retrieved March 13, 2023, from https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/garden-scoop/2019-01-19-history-blueberries-native-american-staple-domesticated-superfood

Fruiting from July, it is a vigorous shrub that produces deep blue-coloured berries with a good flavour. For the biggest fruits, blueberry ‘Chandler’ is certainly worth considering as it can produce delicious berries up to 2cm. With white flowers in spring that produce flavoursome sky blue blueberries from July to August, it looks great coming into autumn as its foliage turns red. I grow a couple of these in my garden, including V.‘Sunshine Blue’ and V. ‘Top Hat’, and these produce a large crop on relatively small bushes.

Improved insulin sensitivity may lower the risk of metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes, which are associated with a range of negative health outcomes ( 36). Summary The blueberry bush ( Vaccinium sect. Cyanococcus) is a flowering shrub that produces berries with a bluish, purple hue — also known as blueberries ( 1). In a study in 32 obese people with insulin resistance, two blueberry smoothies daily caused major improvements in insulin sensitivity ( 35).One cup (148 grams) holds 15 grams of sugar, which is equivalent to a small apple or medium-sized orange ( 3, 30, 31). However, the bioactive compounds in blueberries appear to outweigh any negative impact of the sugar when it comes to managing blood sugar.