Common Blueberry vs Oregon Grape - TreeTime.ca

Common Blueberry vs Oregon Grape

Berberis aquifolium (Mahonia aquifolium)

Vaccinium myrtilloides

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON

Oregon Grape
Common Blueberry

Oregon Grape is an evergreen shrub native to North America, found along the Pacific coast. In spring, the bright golden-yellow flowers appear in clusters above the leaves. These flowers eventually give way to edible blue berries in late summer. While not a true grape, the berries appear grape-like due to their colouring and clustered growth. They can be eaten fresh, but the sour taste and high amounts of natural pectin make them well suited for preserves.

The Oregon Grape has leaves that are glossy, leathery, and spiny-edged. This feature gives it its alternate name of Holly-leaved Barberry. When the leaves emerge in the spring they are a bronze-red colour. In the summer they transition to green, followed by bright red to deep burgundy in the fall. Leaves are retained throughout the winter and colder temperatures cause the leaves to turn purplish bronze, providing year round interest to the landscape.

Common Blueberry is an August maturing berry that is wonderfully flavorful and contain more antioxidants by volume than the highbush varieties.
They'll give your baked goods a wonderful pop of flavor.

It isn't as large, pretty, or high yielding as the other varieties we carry. But Common Blueberry is one of the only blueberries that will survive in plant hardiness zones 1A to 2B.

Note: Blueberries require very specific soil conditions. They need well-drained soil with a pH between 4.5 and 5.0.

Oregon Grape Quick Facts

Common Blueberry Quick Facts

Zone: 5a
Zone: 1a
Height: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Height: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: dry, normal
Light: shade, partial shade
Light: partial shade, full sun
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no
Fall colour: bright red to deep burgundy
Fall colour: yellow, orange, and red
Berries: blue to purple, large
Berries: blue
Firmness: medium
Flavor: tart
Harvest: late summer
Flowers: yellow
Flowers: white
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: medium
Life span: long
Life span: short
Maintenance: medium
Suckering: medium
Suckering: none




Other Names: canadian blueberry, sourtop blueberry, velvetleaf blueberry, velvetleaf huckleberry