Kent Strawberry vs Bilberry - TreeTime.ca

Kent Strawberry vs Bilberry

Fragaria ananassa Kent

Vaccinium myrtillus

CUSTOM GROW

Kent Strawberry
Bilberry

Kent Strawberry is a favourite of urban gardeners and commercial growers. This June Bearing (Short Day) strawberry grows well on the prairies and produces high yields of bright red fruit that bursts with flavour. Great for fresh eating or try them in your next batch of jam or baking.

One of the most cold hardy strawberries!

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.

Kent Strawberry Quick Facts

Bilberry Quick Facts

Lowest Price: $0.99 - SAVE UP TO 70%
Zone: 2a
Zone: 3a
Height: 0.2 m (0.5 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: normal, wet
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: slow
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Growth form: low growing, clump-forming
Spreading: rhizomes - medium, seeds - medium
Suckering: medium
Maintenance: medium


Toxicity: leaves may be unsafe in high doses
Flowers: white or pink, bell-shaped
Bloom time: summer
Berries: cherry red
Berries: round bluish-purple berries, edible
Firmness: firm
Flavor: sweet
Harvest: June
Harvest: late summer to early fall
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC
Other Names: common bilberry, dwarf bilberry, low bilberry, myrtille, myrtle blueberry, myrtle whortleberry, whortleberry