Give your garden a twist with 'Pink Lemonade' Blueberries

You’ve probably heard the saying, “If life gives you lemons, make lemonade.”  Well what do you make when your garden gives you Pink Blueberries? The possibilities are endless!

Add a fun twist to your garden this Spring with the new ‘Pink Lemonade’ Blueberries.  Calloway’s Nursery and Cornelius Nursery garden centers introduced this new blueberry at its Texas locations this week, and customer response has been enthusiastic.

With a broader range of fruit production, the ‘Pink Lemonade’ Blueberry offers colorful berries and delicious fruit along with Fall foliage accent colors.  The blueberry bush grows to 4.5’ by 5’ in about 10 years and is best used for mixed borders, mass plantings or just good ol’ fruit production.

The pink berries of ‘Pink Lemonade’ are translucent white berries that mature into a luscious bright pink and taste wonderfully sweet with a firm, clear texture.  The shrubs perform well in Texas gardens providing something interesting and unique for the garden and meal enjoyment.The ‘Pink Lemonade’ came on the garden scene when USDA-ARS hybridized two types of blueberry plants (V. ashei (Rabbiteye Blueberry) and V. corymbosum) resulting in the ‘Pink Lemonade’ Blueberry. ‘Pink Lemonade’ produces farther south than many traditional blueberry varieties and offers a completely new and unique harvest.

While the berry color and flavor appeals to gourmet cooks and those seeking a culinary novelty, the beauty of the plant with its rosy fruit and vigorous habit make the ‘Pink Lemonade’ a plant that is both beautiful and functional in Texas gardens.

For best results follow these planting tips from Calloway’s Nursery and RanPro Farm grower and garden experts:
Blueberry planting tips:

•     Select a site with proper light, blueberries need full sun in Texas.

  

•     Place the plant in an area with enough room for the plant grow to maturity.
•     Dig a hole twice as wide and one and half times the depth of the plant rootball.
•     Remove the plant from the container by squeezing the container to loosen the soil.
•     Tilt the plant container and let the plant slide out.  Do not pull at the plant to remove it from the container.
•     If the plant is heavily rooted and has tangles of roots showing, gently “scratch” the outer roots to loosen them.  This stimulates the roots and promotes their growth in the surrounding soil, aiding in a more rapid establishing root system as the tree grows.
•     Fill the bottom of the hole with loose native soil and soil amendments such as Calloway’s Premium Landscape Mix so that the top of the rootball is even with the surrounding surface.
•     Center rootball in hole and hold the tree upright as you secure it in place with surrounding soil.
•     Backfill around the sides of the rootball with a mixture of native soil and soil amendments from hole.
•     Tamp firm as you fill to remove air pockets

   

•     Mound remaining soil around perimeter of the hole creating a water holding area that will allow water to seep into soil around roots slowly rather than run-off.
•     Support the tree using a three strap triangulated support system or sturdy stake to prevent the tree from blowing over until roots are sufficiently establish (usually one year). Take care not to wound or scrape tree bark and use soft material to assure that support will not injure tree as it grows.
•     Water thoroughly and apply Root Stimulator at planting and as directed until established.

Blueberry care tips:

•     Watering: Water regularly during the first year until roots are firmly established and as necessary to keep  soil moist (not flooded) during the life of the plant. If soil drains poorly, use less water but water more frequently so the plant stays moist but doesn’t sit in water. Keep moist until well established then water regularly as needed.
•     Fertilizing: Use well balanced fertilizer in Spring.

   

•     Pruning: Pruning should not be necessary until year three other than light top pruning.
•     Pruning: Prune next to a limb and leave no stub. All pruning should be done when the blueberry plant is dormant.

Pest and Problem Prevention: Contact a Texas Nursery Certified Professional at Houston garden centers, Cornelius Nursery, or Dallas Fort Worth garden centers, Calloway’s Nursery, for proper chemical or organic treatments for pests and fungal infections. Be careful to use products that specify use for edible berry plants. Never use systemic chemicals during bloom, fruit set or harvest periods.