Vaccinium corymbosum ‘Patriot’
Overview
Uses: Home fruit gardens, edible landscaping, informal hedges, and wildlife plantings.
Benefits: A very cold-hardy highbush blueberry that bears large, flavorful berries in early to midsummer. White spring flowers and red-orange fall color make it as ornamental as it is productive. Needs acidic soil; planting another variety nearby boosts yields.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3–7
Sun: Full Sun to Partial Shade
Life Cycle: Deciduous Shrub
Growth Habit: Upright, Rounded — sturdy, open form.
Bloom Color: White
Foliage Color: Green, turning Red-Orange in fall
Mature Height: 4–6 feet
Mature Width: 4–5 feet
Bloom Season: Spring
Growth Rate: Moderate
Summary
Big, sweet blueberries from a bush built for cold northern winters.
Patriot was developed for northern growers, and it handles winters down to zone 3 that are too cold for many highbush blueberries. In early to midsummer it bears clusters of large, firm, flavorful berries that are good fresh, baked, or frozen for later.
It earns its place in the landscape too. Clusters of small white, bell-shaped flowers cover the branches in spring, the summer foliage is a clean blue-green, and in fall the leaves turn red and orange. The upright, rounded bush reaches about four to six feet tall, so it works as an informal hedge along a property line or as the backbone of a home fruit bed.
Bees work the spring flowers, and birds watch the ripening crop as closely as you will. Patriot sets fruit on its own, but planting a second blueberry variety that blooms at the same time usually brings larger berries and heavier harvests.
Care
Patriot Highbush Blueberry Care
Plant in full sun for the best crop. Plants grow in partial shade, but they flower and fruit less there.
Blueberries need acidic soil, ideally around pH 4.5 to 5.5, that is loose, well drained, and rich in organic matter. If your soil is neutral or alkaline, work in peat moss or composted pine bark and use a soil acidifier, and test the soil before planting. A three-inch layer of pine bark or pine needle mulch keeps the shallow roots cool and moist.
Water deeply and regularly, about an inch a week, through the first season and whenever rain is short, especially while berries are sizing up. The fine, shallow roots dry out faster than those of most shrubs.
Feed lightly in early spring with a slow release fertilizer made for acid-loving plants. Avoid heavy feeding, which pushes leaves at the expense of fruit.
Little pruning is needed for the first few years. Many growers pick off the flowers in the first spring so the plant puts its energy into roots. Once the bush is established, prune in late winter: remove dead or crossing branches and take out one or two of the oldest canes at the base each year to keep new, productive wood coming. Bird netting in early summer protects the ripening crop.
Size
What Size is the Patriot Highbush Blueberry for Sale Online?
Our Patriot Highbush Blueberry ships in a greenhouse-grade grow pot and is appropriately sized for its container at the time of shipment. Plants ship dormant or near dormant in the off-season, so they may arrive with few or no leaves. If you have specific sizing or planting questions, please contact us.
How Large Does Patriot Highbush Blueberry Grow?
Expect about 4 to 6 feet tall and 4 to 5 feet wide at maturity, in an upright, rounded shape. Space plants about 4 to 5 feet apart for a fruiting hedge, or a little wider if you want to walk around each bush to pick.
Additional Information
What are some common names for this plant?
It is most often called highbush blueberry, and is also sold as northern highbush blueberry.
Do I need two blueberry plants to get fruit?
Patriot will set fruit on its own, but a second highbush variety that blooms at the same time improves pollination, which usually means bigger berries and a larger harvest. Plant the two within about 50 feet of each other. Browse more Berries to find a companion.
Is Patriot Highbush Blueberry a native plant?
It is a selection of Vaccinium corymbosum, which is native to eastern North America. Selections like this one are often called nativars: they keep the spring flowers and wildlife value of the native species while adding larger fruit and better yields. Browse more Native Plants of North America.
When will it start producing berries?
Young plants often set a small crop in their second or third season, and harvests build each year as the bush fills out with more fruiting canes. The berries ripen in early to midsummer, over a few weeks rather than all at once. For more ways to grow your own food, see our Fruit & Vegetable Plants.
