So Many Blueberries

When I was a pre-teen, my parents added about 10 high-bush blueberries to the orchard to the west of the house. The orchard was two neat rows, about 40 yards long and 15 yards wide, that also consisted of peach, plum (purple and yellow), apple, and apricot trees.

Each midsummer I spent what seemed like hours picking berries from those bushes every other day or so. I’m still not sure what variety they are, but the large, plump berries made batches and batches of the most delicious blueberry muffins (nothing fancy—it’s the recipe in the Betty Crocker cookbook. Give it a try!).

So many types of blueberries

While my parents had a limited choice of blueberry varieties 20-some years ago, today’s blueberry offerings have exploded with choices: from low-growing, to mid-sized, to high-bush plants; early-fruiting, to mid-season, to late summer-fruiting varieties; from small- to large-sized berries. Even the berry color is no longer just blue! Pink blueberries are available, as well.

Oregon blueberries

I recently received a shipment of small blueberry bushes from the folks at Fall Creek Nursery in Oregon. They offered up 7 different varieties to try out at my parents’ house. Among the varieties are Brunswick, Burgundy, Top Hat, Bluecrop, Chandler, Darrow and Reka.

I kept the three Top Hat plants for myself. It’s a small-sized blueberry bush that is appropriately sized for growing in patio containers, about 2.5-3 ft. tall.

Top Hat blueberries

In addition to fruit, apparently Top Hat has a gorgeous fall color show, turning brilliant red. I gave two to friends who will plant them in containers and keep me updated on their progress. I planted the third in my own garden. Given that it’s planted directly in the ground, I can expect the bush to grow with a bit more vigor.

While I don’t expect much of a blueberry crop during this first season, I’m looking forward to seeing what Top Hat can do in years to come. And maybe I’ll have at least a handful of berries to top some ice cream this summer.