Common Blueberry vs Bilberry - TreeTime.ca

Common Blueberry vs Bilberry

Vaccinium myrtilloides

Vaccinium myrtillus

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

CUSTOM GROW

Common Blueberry
Bilberry

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 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 Quick Facts

Bilberry Quick Facts

Zone: 1a
Zone: 3a
Height: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 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: dry, normal
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: slow
Life span: short
Life span: medium
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
Flowers: white or pink, bell-shaped
Bloom time: summer
Berries: blue
Berries: round bluish-purple berries, edible
Firmness: medium
Flavor: tart
Flavor: sweet
Harvest: late summer
Harvest: late summer to early fall
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


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