Lowbush Blueberry vs Grouseberry - TreeTime.ca

Lowbush Blueberry vs Grouseberry

Vaccinium angustifolium

Vaccinium scoparium

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Lowbush Blueberry
Grouseberry

Lowbush Blueberry, commonly known as the Wild Lowbush Blueberry, is often wild-harvested and thrives in low pH acidic soil. This early low-bush blueberry produces white and pink bell-shaped flowers in the spring. Its fruit is smaller in size than high bush blueberry plants and is more flavourful with an intense blueberry taste-masking it perfect for fresh eating, baking, and preserves.

Note: Blueberries require very specific soil conditions. They need well-drained soil with a pH between 4.5 and 5.0. If the starting pH of your soil is between 5.1 and 6.2 you can lower it by adding sulfur. We recommend against planting blueberries in soil with a starting pH greater than 6.2. Please do your own research before buying any blueberry plants.

Grouseberry is a native, low-growing deciduous shrub known for its edible red berries. In early summer, it produces small, urn-shaped flowers ranging from white to pink that attract bees and other pollinators. The berries provide an important food source for many types of wildlife, including game birds such as grouse, which gives the plant its common name. People can also enjoy the berries fresh or in baked goods, though they can be difficult to harvest in large quantities.

Spreading by rhizomes, Grouseberry forms dense, broom-like mats that help stabilize soil and prevent erosion, while also providing cover for ground-nesting wildlife. It is commonly found beneath conifers in open forests, subalpine meadows, and occasionally on rocky slopes in mountainous regions. It is well-suited for naturalization, ecological restoration, and soil stabilization projects.

Lowbush Blueberry Quick Facts

Grouseberry Quick Facts

Zone: 2a
Zone: 2a
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Spread: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Spread: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: shade, partial shade
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: slow
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Growth form: low growing, colony-forming
Spreading: rhizomes - medium
Suckering: none
Maintenance: high
Maintenance: medium


Fall colour: reddish
Flowers: white, pink tinged, bell shaped
Flowers: small pink, bell-shaped
Bloom time: spring
Berries: edible blue
Berries: small, bright red, edible
Flavor: tart
Harvest: July
Harvest: summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, PE
Native to: AB, BC
Other Names: late lowbush blueberry, late sweet blueberry, wild lowbush blueberry
Other Names: dwarf red whortleberry, grouse whortleberry, little-leaved huckleberry, red alpine blueberry, small-leaved huckleberry