Vaccinium ‘Top Hat’
Overview
Uses: Patio containers, edible landscaping, low borders, and small-space fruit gardens.
Benefits: A dwarf half-high blueberry that stays about 1–2 feet tall, small enough for a patio pot. White spring flowers are followed by small, flavorful blue berries in midsummer, and the leaves turn red in fall. Very cold hardy. Needs acidic soil.
USDA Hardiness Zones: 3–7
Sun: Full Sun
Life Cycle: Deciduous Shrub
Growth Habit: Mounding, Rounded — dwarf and bushy.
Bloom Color: White
Foliage Color: Green, turning Red in fall
Mature Height: 1–2 feet
Mature Width: 1–2 feet
Bloom Season: Spring
Growth Rate: Slow
Summary
A whole blueberry bush that fits in a pot by the back door.
Most blueberries need room to sprawl, but Top Hat stays a tidy, rounded mound only one to two feet tall and wide. It is a half-high blueberry, a cross between highbush and lowbush types that combines the compact size and toughness of the wild lowbush with the fruit of the highbush. The result is a plant small enough for a patio container, a balcony, or the front edge of a sunny border.
In spring the little shrub is covered in white, bell-shaped flowers. Small, sweet blue berries follow in midsummer, borne generously for such a compact plant. In fall the leaves turn red, so the pot earns its spot on the patio long after the last berries are picked.
Top Hat is also exceptionally cold tolerant, hardy into zone 3, which makes it a good fit for northern gardeners who want homegrown fruit in very little space.
Care
Top Hat Half-High Blueberry Care
Plant in full sun for the best flowering and fruit. In partial shade the plant grows but fruits more lightly.
Like all blueberries, Top Hat needs acidic soil, roughly pH 4.5 to 5.5, with good drainage and plenty of organic matter. In the ground, test the soil first and work in peat or pine bark if it runs neutral or alkaline.
The roots are fine and shallow and dry out quickly. Water deeply once or twice a week through the first season, and keep soil evenly moist while flowers and fruit develop. A layer of pine bark or pine needle mulch helps hold moisture and keep the soil acidic.
Feed lightly in early spring as buds swell, using a slow release fertilizer. Blueberries are easily over-fed, so use a modest amount.
Pruning is minimal. In late winter, remove any dead or weak stems and, on older plants, an occasional old stem at the base to encourage new growth. Net the plant as the berries color if birds find them first.
Growing in Containers
Top Hat is one of the best blueberries for pots. Use a container at least 14 inches across with open drainage, and fill it with a potting mix made for acid-loving plants. Container plants dry out faster than plants in the ground, so check moisture often during warm weather, especially while berries are forming, and feed lightly each spring, since frequent watering washes nutrients out of the mix. Roots in containers experience greater cold exposure than roots in the ground. Plants hardy in the ground may require winter protection when grown in containers in colder zones; an unheated garage or a sheltered spot against the house works well.
Size
What Size is the Top Hat Half-High Blueberry for Sale Online?
Our Top Hat Half-High 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 Top Hat Half-High Blueberry Grow?
Expect about 1 to 2 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide at maturity, in a compact, rounded mound. Growth is slow, so it holds that size for years. Space plants about 2 feet apart for a low edging row.
Additional Information
What is a half-high blueberry?
Half-high blueberries are hybrids between highbush and lowbush blueberries. They stay much shorter than highbush types and are very cold hardy, while still producing full-flavored berries. Top Hat is one of the most compact of the group.
Do I need two plants for berries?
Top Hat can set fruit on its own, which makes it a good choice when there is only room for one pot. A second blueberry nearby that blooms at the same time can improve the size and number of berries. Browse more Berries.
Is Top Hat a native plant?
Both of its parents, highbush and lowbush blueberry, are native to eastern North America, so Top Hat is considered a nativar: a cultivated selection from native species. See more Native Plants of North America.
How many berries will a plant this small produce?
Expect a modest harvest, enough for snacking and topping breakfast through midsummer rather than a freezer full. The berries are small, in keeping with the plant. For a bigger yield in a small space, group several pots together. For more fruit you can grow on a deck or balcony, see our Patio Plants.
