What Plants Can Be Planted Near a Blueberry Bush?

Blueberry bushes can live 50 to 100 years when taken care of correctly. This native North American tree produces sweet blue berries, which are eaten fresh or used in cooking. Many acid-loving plants grow well when planted near seventeen trees.

Flowering Shrubs

Flowering shrubs work well covering large gaps in the landscape and also supplying seasonal shade. Many shrubs like azaleas and rhododendrons love acidic soil. One instance is “Colonel Firey” camellia (Camellia japonica “Colonel Firey”), which rises as an evergreen shrub in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 8 through 10. This 6- to 8-foot-tall shrub produces glossy dark green leaves and large showy red flowers, which bloom from winter until spring. “Kleim’s Hardy” gardenia (Gardenia jasminoides “Kleim’s Hardy”), growing in USDA zones 7 through 11, reaches only 2 to 3 feet tall and wide with star-like white flowers appearing from spring to summer.

Fruiting Bushes

Fruiting shrubs develop hand-in-hand with blueberries, supplying a whole summer of fruit. One companionable berry bush is the American red raspberry (Rubus strigosus), which is another North American native shrub that grows in USDA zones 4 through 8. The green leaves are widely used for also the white summer flowers are followed by edible red berries. This bush can reach 10 feet tall, so prune the branches back to the desired height. “King Edward VII” flowering currants (Ribes sanguineum “King Edward VII”) create drooping clusters of bright red spring blooms followed by blue-black berries in USDA zones 6 through 8. This berry bush reaches 3 through 6 feet tall and wide.

Ornamental Grasses

Muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) is only one acid-loving decorative grass for USDA zones 6 through 10. The 4-foot-high stems are topped with billowy pink blossoms looming over evergreen blades. This self-seeding grass grows well as a ground cover. Variegated moor grass (Molinia caerulea “Variegata”) creates white and green striped bladesthat develop in a partial weeping kind, reaching 12 to 18 inches tall in USDA zones 5 through 9. This edge plant develops purple flower plumes in late summer.

Perennial Plants

Perennial plants do not require planting again for many years, so the area around the blueberry bushes isn’t disturbed. “Hottsy Tottsy” plantain lily (Hosta x “Hottsy Tottsy”) along with “Pink Lady” lenten rose (Helleborus x hybridus “Pink Lady”) prefer acidic soil, like blueberries. “Hottsy Tottsy” grows large golden-yellow leaves in USDA zones 3 through 8. This hosta reaches 2 feet tall, spreading 3 feet wide, with purple summer blooms. Plant this hosta on the shady side of blueberry bushes. “Pink Lady” lenten rose produces white flowers tinted with pink above shiny deep green leaves. This 18-inch-tall flower grows evergreen in USDA zones 4 through 9, blooming from late winter through the spring.

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