Austin Rabbiteye Blueberry Bush

A huge berry bush with plenty of delicious fruit, the Austin Rabbiteye Blueberry Bush (Vaccinium ashei 'Austin') will certainly leave a mark on your orchard with this sheer size! The large shrubs fill out in lovely foliage that becomes bedecked in tiny white blossoms that the bumblebees and native bees go crazy for!

Austin Blueberry bushes are semi-evergreen in warmer climates, but may drop foliage in colder zones but not before offering some reddish fall color first! Rabbiteye Blueberries are fantastic for southern growers throughout USDA planting zones 7 to 9!

The name comes from the pink ripening fruit, which is reminiscent of a pink-eyed rabbit. The late spring to early summer crop of large, Huckleberry-flavored fruit starts pink before turning dark blue! It is easy to pick, firm, and flavorful! Eat these anti-oxidant-rich treats fresh, in sauces and preserves, baked, or whizzed up into a morning smoothie!

These Blueberry bushes are hardy and can grow larger than most Blueberry bushes - topping out at 10-15 feet in height and spread to 6-10 feet wide. Giving you plenty of delicious berries to harvest as early as June!

You'll get a bigger harvest when planting Austin with other Austin Blueberry bushes, or mix in some Climax, Premier Blueberries, and Brightwell Blueberry bushes for extra cross-pollination! Check with your local County Extension Office for which will do best in your area!

Planting and Application:

Rabbiteye Blueberry are superb fruiting hedges and specimen plants! Their spring blooms, summer fruit, and fall color make them ideal for use as double-duty edible landscaping! Plant a hedge along the property line with its pollinator species for a bird-friendly berry patch that also provides screening and property definition!

Austin Rabbiteye bushes are easy to grow and are ideal for the southern home orchard! Create groupings or linear orchards by using these taller fruiting shrubs as a backdrop for Victory Garden or as a unique mixer in the mixed shrub border and windbreak! Keep the birds at bay by planting extra bushes or including their other favorites like Aronia, or Raspberries for a shelterbelt everyone will love!

• Large Firm Sweet Berries
• Lovely Pollinator-Friendly White Spring Blossoms
• Big Crop of Early Season Fruit
• Semi-Evergreen or Great Fall Color
• Hedges, Specimens, Edible Landscaping & Mixed Landscape Use

#ProPlantTips for Care

Blueberry bushes love sandy, slightly acidic, well-drained soils and Austin can grow quite tall in optimal planting conditions! These fruiting bushes also appreciate locations in Full Sun for the most fruit, planted in an area that is high in organic matter and is mulched well with 3-4 inches of arborist bark chips. Give new shrubs regular water until they're established, then some supplemental moisture during the hot summers. Like other evergreen shrubs, Austin also appreciates a good drink before winter sets in.

Prune this Blueberry bush in the late winter or very early spring to open the tops and interior of the bushes for good sun and for the best fruiting.

• Full Sun Fruit Shrubs
• Well-Drained Acidic Soil
• Regular Moisture & Appreciates Mulch
• Prune Late Winter/Early Spring
• Requires 450-550 Chill Hours

The Austin Rabbiteye Blueberry bush is a big and flavorful fruit bush for your garden this year! Order yours today at NatureHills.com before this great variety is gone!