Common Blueberry vs Bilberry - TreeTime.ca

Common Blueberry vs Bilberry

Vaccinium myrtillus

Vaccinium myrtilloides

CUSTOM GROW

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Bilberry
Common Blueberry

Bilberry is a native perennial shrub valued for its small, blue-black berries that ripen in mid to late summer. The berries resemble blueberries but have a richer, more tart, and intense flavor. They have long been used for fresh eating, baking, and preserves, while also providing food for birds and mammals. In spring, its delicate pinkish flowers attract bees and other pollinators.

Growing low to the ground, Bilberry forms spreading colonies that create dense understory cover. This growth habit provides food and shelter for wildlife, and its foliage adds seasonal interest by turning red to purple in autumn. With its adaptability and ecological benefits, Bilberry is well-suited for naturalization, ecological restoration, and pollinator gardens.

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.

Bilberry Quick Facts

Common Blueberry Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 1a
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Height: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: slow
Growth rate: medium
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Growth form: low growing, clump-forming
Spreading: rhizomes - medium, seeds - medium
Suckering: none

Toxicity: leaves may be unsafe in high doses

Fall colour: yellow, orange, and red
Flowers: white or pink, bell-shaped
Flowers: white
Bloom time: summer
Berries: round bluish-purple berries, edible
Berries: blue
Firmness: medium
Flavor: sweet
Flavor: tart
Harvest: late summer to early fall
Harvest: late summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, NT, PE
Other Names: common bilberry, dwarf bilberry, low bilberry, myrtille, myrtle blueberry, myrtle whortleberry, whortleberry
Other Names: canadian blueberry, sourtop blueberry, velvetleaf blueberry, velvetleaf huckleberry