Bless Your Heart Blueberry Bush - 3 Gallon

Transform your garden with both beauty and bounty—lush foliage, charming spring blooms, and sweet summer fruit.

The Bless Your Heart Blueberry (Vaccinium ‘Bless Your Heart’) is a premium southern highbush variety bred to thrive in the Southeast while delivering exceptional harvests of large, flavorful berries. Compact and upright, this variety produces clusters of delicate white blooms in spring, followed by medium-to-large blueberries that ripen early to mid-summer. With its attractive foliage that shifts to fiery red in fall, Bless Your Heart doubles as an ornamental shrub while providing an abundance of fresh, antioxidant-rich fruit. Self-pollinating yet even more productive when paired with a companion variety, this blueberry is ideal for gardeners who want both beauty and harvest from the same plant.

Why You’ll Love the Bless Your Heart Blueberry

Reliable Harvests: Heavy producer of plump, sweet-tart blueberries that ripen early, extending the season when paired with other cultivars. Perfect for snacking, baking, or freezing.

Compact & Versatile: Naturally rounded, upright growth habit reaching 4–5 feet tall—perfect for edible landscapes, container gardening, or hedgerows.

Multi-Season Beauty: White spring flowers, glossy green summer foliage, juicy summer berries, and brilliant scarlet fall color make this shrub a four-season standout.

Low-Maintenance & Hardy: Adaptable and disease-resistant with strong heat and humidity tolerance—ideal for southern climates.

Bless Your Heart Blueberry Details

• Botanical Name: Vaccinium ‘Bless Your Heart’

• Type: Deciduous fruiting shrub

• Mature Size: 4–5 ft tall × 3–4 ft wide

• Growth Rate: Moderate

• Light: Full sun (6+ hours for best fruiting)

• Soil: Acidic, well-drained soil (pH 4.5–5.5 preferred)

• Water: Moderate; consistent moisture during establishment and fruiting

• USDA Hardiness Zones: 7, 8, 9

Growing Conditions

Soil Adaptability: Thrives in acidic, well-draining soil rich in organic matter. Avoid alkaline soils. Regular applications of soil acidifier or azalea/camellia fertilizer ensure vigorous growth and fruit production.

Light Requirements: Full sun is best for abundant flowering and maximum berry yield. At least 6 hours daily is required, with more producing sweeter fruit.

Hardiness: Zones 7, 8, 9, making it especially well-suited to warm southern gardens with humid summers and mild winters.

Care Instructions

Watering: Keep soil consistently moist but not soggy. Deep water weekly during dry periods, especially when berries are forming. A 2–3 inch mulch layer conserves moisture and keeps roots cool.

Pruning: Minimal pruning required the first 2–3 years. Thereafter, prune in late winter to remove weak, damaged, or older canes and encourage new, productive growth.

Fertilizing: Apply an acid-loving plant fertilizer (formulated for azaleas/blueberries) in early spring and again after harvest to promote strong growth and fruit set.

Landscaping Uses

Versatile Applications: Bless Your Heart Blueberry works beautifully as:

• An edible hedge

• A landscape accent with year-round appeal

• A container-grown patio plant

• A productive addition to an orchard or kitchen garden

Strategic Placement: Plant near patios, pathways, or garden edges where its spring blooms, summer harvest, and brilliant fall foliage can be enjoyed up close. Pair with another southern highbush variety for extended harvests and higher yields.

Frequently Asked Questions

How big will the Bless Your Heart Blueberry get?
Typically 4–5 feet tall and 3–4 feet wide, forming a naturally rounded shrub ideal for landscapes and hedges.

Do I need more than one Bless Your Heart to get fruit?
No, it is self-pollinating. However, planting it with a companion southern highbush like ‘Climax’ or ‘Premier’ increases yield and extends the harvest season.

When will it produce fruit?
Expect clusters of sweet blueberries beginning in early summer, typically starting the second year after planting, with heavier harvests as the shrub matures.

Is the Bless Your Heart Blueberry easy to grow?
Yes! With the right soil (acidic and well-drained), full sun, and occasional feeding, this variety is low-maintenance, disease-resistant, and highly rewarding.