Vaccinium corymbosum 'Duke' (Highbush Blueberry)

'Duke' is a Northern Highbush blueberry selection prized by PNW gardeners and small-orchard growers. Glossy green leaves shift to fiery burgundy and orange in fall, making this a four-season ornamental as well as a kitchen-garden workhorse. Expect the classic blueberry silhouette, upright canes that mature into a tidy 4 to 6 foot rounded shrub with white to pale-pink urn-shaped bell flowers in mid-spring.

Vaccinium corymbosum is native to eastern North America, not the PNW, but our cool maritime climate suits it beautifully when soil chemistry is right. Acidic soil at pH 4.5 to 5.5 is non-negotiable; amend with peat moss, pine fines, or elemental sulfur and mulch annually with conifer needles or Douglas fir sawdust. Plant in full sun to part shade with consistent moisture, especially during fruit set and ripening. Hardy USDA Zones 3 to 7. Drought stress shows up as small fruit and tip dieback, so drip irrigation pays for itself in flavor and yield.

Highbush blueberries are self-fertile, but yield and berry size jump dramatically when you plant two or more cultivars with overlapping bloom periods for cross-pollination. Native bumblebees and mason bees handle most of the pollination work. Coastal and Willamette Valley pressures to watch for include mummy berry (a fungal disease, sanitize fallen fruit), Spotted Wing Drosophila on ripening berries, and bird raids. Bird netting is essential once berries start to color up. Not deer-resistant; expect browse damage on unprotected plantings.

If you're considering native fruiting alternatives that support PNW birds and ecology, look at Vaccinium ovatum (Evergreen Huckleberry), Vaccinium parvifolium (Red Huckleberry), Rubus parviflorus (Thimbleberry), Rubus spectabilis (Salmonberry), or Amelanchier alnifolia (Saskatoon). These provide bird food, pollinator support, and Indigenous food heritage in your landscape.