Maleberry
Lyonia ligustrina Shrub Zones 5–9 6–12 ft
Shares stream banks, the Appalachians, the coast, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
A native we do not grow
Highbush Blueberry
Vaccinium corymbosum. Shrub, 5 to 15 feet, zones 3 to 8; full sun or part shade; dry, average or wet ground.
We do not grow highbush blueberry, and it is not in our shop. This page gathers what our tools say about it and the natives we grow for the same ground.
At a glance
| Other names | Swamp blueberry, American blueberry, tall blueberry, northern highbush blueberry |
|---|---|
| Form | Shrub |
| Height, feet | 5 to 15 |
| Spread, feet | Up to 12 |
| Zones | 3 to 8 |
| Sun | Full sun or part shade |
| Soil moisture | Dry, average or wet ground |
| Growth | Medium |
| Leaves | Deciduous |
| Traits | Showy flowers, fall color, wildlife value, edible, hedge or screen, salt tolerant, winter interest |
| Flowers | February to June |
| Fruit | Berries, April to November |
| First crop | 2 to 3 years after planting (bigger harvests after 5; the Morton Arboretum gives 4 to 8 years) |
| Pollination | One bears; a second improves the crop. Highbush blueberry sets fruit with its own pollen, but a second plant nearby gives more and larger berries. |
| Black walnut | Sensitive, on the Morton Arboretum's list as “blueberry” |
| Ground | Stream banks, the Appalachians, the coast, swamps and wet flats |
| Native in | 29 states and the District of Columbia |
Highbush blueberry is native in 29 states and the District of Columbia: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. The states are the USDA PLANTS Database's records, with the native range read from Silvics of North America and NatureServe Explorer. The USDA PLANTS Database also records it growing wild beyond that range in Washington and Wisconsin, where it is naturalized, not native.
What our tools say
How fast it grows and how big it gets, by site Whether it suits your zone, sun and soil How far from a house, wires and a septic field What grows with it in the wild and in a yard When to plant it where you live When it flowers and fruits, month by month How to sow its seed, with dates for your place How many to plant for a crop of seed Whether one you have can be moved, and what the move takes How old one is, from its height How a big one scores against the champion trees
For the same ground, we grow
These shrubs we grow share the most of highbush blueberry's natural communities in the wild, by the companion species tool's rules.
Large Cranberry
Vaccinium macrocarpon Shrub Zones 2–7 1–2 ft
Shares stream banks, the Appalachians, the coast, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
Squashberry
Viburnum edule Shrub Zones 2–8 2–7 ft
Shares stream banks, the Appalachians, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
Swamp Azalea
Rhododendron viscosum Shrub Zones 4–9 3–8 ft
Shares stream banks, the coast, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
Pinxterbloom Azalea
Rhododendron periclymenoides Shrub Zones 4–9 3–6 ft
Shares stream banks, the Appalachians, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
Sweet Pepperbush (Summersweet)
Clethra alnifolia Shrub Zones 4–9 4–8 ft
Shares stream banks, the coast, swamps and wet flats in the wild.
Read from
Its figures come from Silvics of North America, NC State Extension, the Missouri Botanical Garden, the Morton Arboretum, the Wildflower Center, the Forest Service's Fire Effects Information System, the Woody Plant Seed Manual, University of Minnesota Extension, the University of Connecticut's plant database and the USDA PLANTS Database.