Local pickup is available for most plants and trees. Limited shipping may be available for select persimmon trees, liners, and smaller plants. Shipping charges are calculated separately and may vary based on plant size, quantity, destination, and packaging requirements. Please contact us before ordering if shipping is required so we can confirm availability and provide the shipping cost.

Home Wildlife Planting & Habitat Trees Gupton Blueberry Plant

  • Local Pickup Available at Advanced Nursery Growers | Limited Shipping Available on Select Plants — Contact Us Before Ordering

Gupton Southern Highbush blueberry plant with ripe light-blue berries for sale in North

Gupton Blueberry Plant

Advanced Nursery Growers

$12.00

Gupton Blueberry is a vigorous Southern Highbush variety developed for early fruit production in the Gulf Coast and southeastern United States. It produces medium to large, light-blue berries with very good sweetness, flavor, firmness, and a small, dry picking scar.

The berries resist cracking during rainy weather and have good keeping quality after harvest. Gupton is an excellent choice for fresh eating, freezing, baking, preserves, and home fruit gardens.

Gupton grows more vigorously and has better longevity than many older Southern Highbush varieties. Its upright growth, dependable production, and early harvest make it especially promising for North Florida and the Florida Panhandle.

Plant Details

  • Plant Type: Deciduous fruiting shrub
  • Botanical Name: Vaccinium hybrid ‘Gupton’
  • Blueberry Type: Southern Highbush
  • Mature Size: Approximately 5–7 feet tall and 4–5 feet wide
  • Sun: Full sun for the best flowering, production, and berry sweetness
  • USDA Zones: Approximately 7–9
  • Chill Hours: Approximately 500 hours
  • Bloom Time: Mid- to late March under south Mississippi growing conditions
  • Harvest Time: Early to midseason for a Southern Highbush blueberry; generally May through early June depending on location and weather
  • Fruit: Medium to large, attractive light-blue berries
  • Flavor: Sweet with very good fresh blueberry flavor
  • Texture: Very firm
  • Picking Scar: Small and dry
  • Cracking Resistance: Good resistance to rain-related fruit splitting
  • Pollination: Plant with another early- to midseason Southern Highbush blueberry
  • Soil: Acidic, moist but well-drained soil rich in organic matter
  • Preferred Soil pH: Approximately 4.0–5.5
  • Water: Keep evenly moist while establishing and during flowering and fruit development, but avoid waterlogged soil
  • Growth Habit: Vigorous, open, upright growth with a narrow crown
  • Landscape Uses: Home orchards, edible landscapes, blueberry gardens, fruit-producing borders, and large containers
  • ATTRACTS POLLINATORS: Spring flowers attract bees and other beneficial pollinators

Gupton has an estimated 500-hour chilling requirement. It produces medium to large berries with very good firmness, flavor, postharvest quality, and resistance to physiological cracking.

Best Pollinator Partners

Gupton should be planted near another Southern Highbush blueberry with overlapping bloom time to improve pollination, fruit set, berry size, and production.

The strongest pollinator partner from our current selection is:

  • Pearl Blueberry

Pearl is the clearest match because both Pearl and Gupton were developed by USDA-ARS for Gulf Coast production and were observed flowering during a similar period in Mississippi trials. Both have chilling requirements in the 400- to 500-hour range.

Other Southern Highbush varieties may provide some bloom overlap, including:

  • Jewel Blueberry
  • Farthing Blueberry
  • Rebel Blueberry

However, Pearl is the most dependable recommendation from the varieties we currently offer. Actual flowering overlap can vary with winter temperatures and spring weather.

Plant the two varieties near one another—preferably within approximately 50 feet—so bees can easily move between the flowers.

Do not depend on rabbiteye varieties such as Climax, Premier, Brightwell, Powderblue, or Tifblue to pollinate Gupton. Gupton should be paired with another Southern Highbush blueberry. USDA recommends interplanting Gupton with Southern Highbush cultivars to optimize fruit set, yield, and fruit quality.

North Florida Growing Note

Gupton’s approximately 500-hour chilling requirement is a good match for the winter chill normally received around DeFuniak Springs and much of the Florida Panhandle.

Gupton generally blooms later than several earlier Southern Highbush varieties. Under south Mississippi conditions, its bloom period is often late enough to avoid some late-spring freeze injury. However, freeze protection may still be necessary when flowers or young berries are present.

Southern Highbush blueberries usually require more careful soil preparation than rabbiteye varieties. For the best results:

  • Plant in full sun on slightly elevated ground
  • Avoid low areas where cold air settles
  • Use acidic, well-drained soil with plenty of organic matter
  • Add aged pine bark when native soil is sandy or low in organic matter
  • Mulch with pine bark or pine straw
  • Keep the roots moist without allowing the soil to remain saturated
  • Provide freeze protection when flowers are open and freezing temperatures are forecast

Gupton may also be grown in a large container filled with a well-draining mix formulated for blueberries, azaleas, or other acid-loving plants.

Available for local pickup at our nursery in DeFuniak Springs, Florida. Shipping is not currently available for this blueberry plant.

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

Collections: Berry Plants for North Florida | Blueberries, Blackberries & Edible Berry Plants, Blueberry Plants – All Varieties, Blueberry Plants – Southern Highbush Varieties, Self-Fertile Fruit Trees for North Florida, Wildlife Planting & Habitat Trees

Next Previous

You may also like

document.addEventListener("click", function(e) { var btn = e.target.closest('button[name="checkout"], input[name="checkout"], a[href="/checkout"]'); if (btn) { e.preventDefault(); document.getElementById("pickup-popup").style.display = "block"; } });