Powderblue Blueberry Plant

Powderblue Blueberry is a dependable mid- to late-season rabbiteye variety known for its attractive, powdery light-blue berries, good flavor, and firm texture. The berries are medium-sized and hold well on the plant, making them excellent for fresh eating, freezing, baking, jams, and preserves.

Powderblue develops a vigorous, upright-spreading shrub that can also be used as an attractive fruit-producing hedge. It is one of the rabbiteye varieties that has performed especially well in North Florida and the Florida Panhandle. Because it flowers later than early-season varieties, its blooms are generally less vulnerable to late winter freezes.

Plant Details

• Plant Type: Deciduous fruiting shrub
• Botanical Name: Vaccinium virgatum ‘Powderblue’
• Former Botanical Name: Vaccinium ashei ‘Powderblue’
• Blueberry Type: Rabbiteye
• Mature Size: Approximately 6–10 feet tall and 5–8 feet wide when maintained through pruning; older unpruned plants may grow taller
• Sun: Full sun for the best flowering and fruit production
• USDA Zones: 7–9
• Chill Hours: Approximately 550–600 hours
• Bloom Time: Mid- to late spring for a rabbiteye blueberry
• Harvest Time: Mid- to late rabbiteye season, generally June through July in North Florida, depending on the weather
• Fruit: Medium-sized, very light-blue berries with a powdery bloom
• Flavor: Pleasantly sweet with good traditional blueberry flavor
• Texture: Firm fruit with good keeping quality
• Pollination: Requires another compatible rabbiteye blueberry with overlapping bloom time
• Soil: Acidic, moist but well-drained soil rich in organic matter
• Preferred Soil pH: Approximately 4.5–5.5
• Water: Keep evenly moist during establishment and fruit development, but avoid waterlogged soil
• Growth Habit: Vigorous, upright, and spreading
• Landscape Uses: Home orchards, edible landscapes, blueberry hedges, wildlife gardens, and pick-your-own plantings
• ATTRACTS POLLINATORS: Spring flowers attract bees and other beneficial pollinators

Powderblue is a mid- to late-season rabbiteye with light-blue, medium-sized berries, good firmness, and an upright-spreading growth habit. Its estimated chilling requirement is approximately 550–600 hours.

Best Pollinator Partners

Powderblue should be planted near a different mid- or late-season rabbiteye blueberry for dependable fruit production.

The best pollinator partners from our blueberry selection are:

• Brightwell Blueberry
• Tifblue Blueberry
• Ochlockonee Blueberry

These varieties have similar flowering periods and are specifically recommended as pollinator partners for Powderblue. Of the three, Tifblue and Ochlockonee are especially useful for maintaining good late-season bloom overlap.

Plant at least two different rabbiteye varieties within approximately 50 feet of one another so bees can move easily between the flowers. Powderblue should not depend on a Southern Highbush blueberry for pollination because rabbiteye varieties require pollen from another rabbiteye cultivar.

North Florida Growing Note

Powderblue is an excellent choice for North Florida and the Florida Panhandle. UF/IFAS reports that Powderblue, Brightwell, Tifblue, and Woodard have performed very well in this region. These mid- to late-season rabbiteyes flower later than early-season varieties, making their flowers and young fruit less susceptible to damaging late winter freezes.

Powderblue’s chilling requirement should be a good match for the approximately 450–700 chill hours commonly received around DeFuniak Springs. Actual chill accumulation varies each winter.

Plant Powderblue in full sun and acidic, well-drained soil. Blueberries have shallow root systems and benefit from approximately 3–4 inches of pine bark or pine straw mulch. Keep the mulch slightly away from the base of the plant.

Avoid planting blueberries in low areas that remain wet after heavy rain. If the soil drains poorly, plant on a raised mound or raised bed.

Available primarily for local pickup at our nursery in DeFuniak Springs, Florida. Please contact us before ordering if shipping will be required.

Wholesale availability may be offered on select sizes and quantities. Please contact us for current inventory and wholesale information.

Advanced Nursery Growers
1911 McLeod Road
DeFuniak Springs, FL 32435
Call: 850-391-2228
Email: info@advancednurserygrowers.com