Vaccinium corymbosum Duke (Early)

Vaccinium corymbosum 'Duke' is an award-winner which holds the RHS Award of Garden Merit for its outstanding and reliable performance in the garden - about as close as you can get to a variety 'guarantee'. These are not only fruiting shrubs for the kitchen garden they are beautiful plants in their own right. Producing white, bell-shaped blooms, often with bluish tinge, from March to April which will pull in the pollinators. Flowers will then develop into delicious fruits, commencing in June and cropping through to July. Then, in a final flourish, foliage develops a rich, red colour in autumn. Plants produce an abundance of low calorie, high antioxidant and vitamin rich berries which are just fantastic in smoothies, ice creams and other puddings - as well as eaten fresh as snacks, of course. Vaccinium corymbosum 'Duke', like all blueberries, likes to be planted in ericaceous (acidic) soil. It will happily grow in a container so it is easy to meet this criterion even if you garden on alkaline or neutral soil. Prefers moist, well-drained soil in full sun or part-shade. A hardy, deciduous shrub which reaches a height and spread of up to 2m.