Mixing early and late bluleberry varieties

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I am prepping a bed for blueberries. My local nursery has several varieties and I know that I should plant at least two for optimal pollination. I'd love to plant varieties that fruit at various times across the summer, but I am concerned about flowering time. If I plant early fruiting varieties I assume that they also flower early. Obviously, pollination will only work if flowers are open at the same time. Here is the list of varieties I have to choose from. Any suggestions on which ones would work well together? I am probably looking to plant 4 or 5 bushes.

Berkeley
Earliblue
Lateblue
Jersey
Pink Lemonade (I'm not sure I want this one)

I was originally thinking I would get one early, one late, and two mid-season varieties, figuring this would cover all bases, but from looking online it doesn't look like any of these are mid-season varieties.

Should I just go with Berkeley and Jersey and not worry about fruit timing? This is only for home eating.
 

Gardening Girl

This is my garden several years back.
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Well, please don't take this the wrong way. What has your local nursery suggested? I mean, they are really the best resource for your area. I just picked a big bunch of blueberries for breakfast tomorrow. My husband did the purchasing, so I am not really sure of the varieties. But I am really being serious when I am suggesting going back to your local experts to get their input.
 
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They didn’t really offer any suggestions. Just said pick at least two varieties.

I should mention I’m in SE MA (USDA zone 6)
 

alp

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You could also key in Award of gardening merit to see what grows well although this is probably for England. But these awards are giving by the Royal Horticultural Society which has been running tests on various blueberries.

The last thing you want is to buy the wrong plants as they are your emotional investments and expectations.

Cultivar selection


Northern highbush blueberries
The cultivars listed below are arranged in the approximate order of ripening from July onwards, but the ripening will depend on the climate in the given year.

‘Duke’ AGM - sturdy, upright, very hardy with good autumn colour. It flowers late, but ripens early making an ideal choice for areas with late frosts. Heavy cropping, though can lack vigor if not well fed and pruned. Mild flavour; keeps well

‘Spartan’ AGM – vigorous, upright and hardy. Late blooming, a good choice for areas with late frosts; good autumn colour. Particular about soils, needing organic rich, well-drained soil to flourish. Large fruit with delicious, tangy flavour

‘Patriot’ – smaller, moderately upright shrub. Prefers moister soils and is tolerant of heavier soils. Lovely red & gold autumn colour. Large firm deep blue berries with an excellent flavour

‘Bluejay’ – Vigorous, producing strong upright stems. Hardy, flowers late. Attractive autumn color. Good flavour and reliable cropper

‘Bluecrop’ - vigorous, upright hardy shrub, good autumn colour. Reliable crops of large light blue firm, well flavoured berries. The main high yielding commercial variety

‘Toro’ - hardy, robust well-spaced growth. Both flowers that open pink and fade to white and the autumn colour is ornamental. Reliable cropper producing large berries

‘Hardyblue’ - large, upright, vigorous and hardy; a good choice for areas with late frosts and one of the best for heavier or less than ideal soils. Good autumn colour and red stems in winter. Sweet and high yielding

‘Herbert’ – moderately vigorous, open spreading and hardy. More fussy about growing condition. Large to very large fruit with excellent flavour

‘Bluegold’ – rounded, compact growth. Well suited for tubs. Heavy crops of good size, well-flavoured berries

‘Chandler’ – vigorous, upright growth. Good autumn color. Reliable heavy yields of very large firm berries. Fruit is ripening over period of four to six weeks

Southern highbush blueberries
‘Ozarkblue’ – winter hardy, but better suited for warmer regions where it remains semi-evergreen. Vigorous plant, heat tolerant. Reliable crops of large, light blue fruit with excellent flavour. Late ripening.

‘Misty’ – suitable for warm areas with hot summers and mild winters, usually remaining evergreen. Bright but glaucous foliage with shocking pink flowers. Medium to large berries with excellent flavour.

‘Sunshine Blue’ – only suitable for mild areas; may be evergreen. Compact habit, up to 1m (3ft) in height. More tolerant of less acidic soils. Brilliant pink flowers fading to white, with heavy crops of tangy, medium sized berries over a long period. Quite self-fertile.

Half-high blueberries
‘Chippewa’ – fruits of a size and flavour comparable to the highbush varieties. Grows up to 1m (3ft) high with a compact, spreading habit.

‘Northland’ – one of the hardiest cultivars. Spreading habit, more compact reaching up to 1.2-1.5m. Tolerant to wider range of soils. High yields of small juicy fruits with good flavour.

‘NorthCountry’ – small fruits with authentic wild American blueberry taste. Up to 40cm (16in) high and 1m (3ft) spread, with some tolerance of less acid soils. Has a tendency to sucker. Excellent autumn colour.

‘Northsky’ – extremely hardy but also grows well in warmer climates. Grows to 30-40cm (1ft-16in) high with a spread of 60-90cm (2–3ft). Dense foliage and brilliant red autumn colour, with profuse white blossom. Small berries with a wild blueberry flavour. Fairly reliably self-fertile.

‘Northblue’ – very hardy, growing 60-90cm (2-3ft) high. Larger fruits than many of the other half-highs, but can over-crop. Blossom thinning may be necessary in the earlier years to prevent the bush producing fruit at the expense of formative growth.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=85
 

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