Takes The Cake™ Blueberry Bush

Developed by the team at University of Georgia, Takes The Cake™ Rabbiteye Blueberry (Vaccinium ashei 'Vernon') and its partner, Bless Your Heart™ Blueberry work beautifully for landscapes in USDA Zones 7 - 9. Both are part of the Southern Living plant collection, so you know they will display excellent heat tolerance in field tests.

This shrub is self-pollinating, so you’ll get fruit with a single plant. However, we definitely recommend planting with Bless Your Heart Blueberries for a much larger fruit set on both shrubs.

They bloom at the same time, and a bit later than other Rabbiteye varieties. This is a great feature that helps protect your crop from unpredictable weather and late spring frosts.

But you’ll be amazed at how fast the fruit develops. Takes The Cake races from flower to finished fruit, ripe for picking very early in the season. You’ll have amazing, homegrown blueberries for your smoothies and muffins before you know it!

Takes The Cake is a pretty shrub, with gorgeous flowers and lavish red fall color. The pretty blue berries really “pop” against the green summer foliage. You’ll be proud to show it off in your landscape.

Pop those berries in your mouth, fresh-picked. They have a beautiful color, great flavor and last a long time in the fridge. Or, freeze or can them to save them for some wintertime blues.

You’ll receive wonderfully healthy shrubs from the expert growers at Nature Hills. You can expect high quality, commercial-grade plant materials that are expert packaged and shipped directly to your door. How fun!

Order yours today, this hot little number will be a big seller. People are on the hunt for Takes The Cake Blueberry!

How to Use Takes The Cake Blueberry in the Landscape

Edible Landscaping is a huge garden trend that shows no sign of slowing down. People across the country are re-discovering the joys of growing their own food.

And why not? You pay for your land, after all. Make the sunshine work hard for you and your family, even in the heart of suburbia or in the middle of a city.

With this variety, you can “have your cake and eat it, too.”

Takes The Cake Blueberry is a beautiful plant with a nice, compact branching structure, and an energetic, upright form. It features lovely flowers, fascinating fruit and a very welcome red fall color display.

Try several as a hard-working, low privacy screen at the back of your patio seating area.

Plant them in gorgeous, exterior containers for a wonderful show all season long.

Pull out those tired old foundation shrubs and use Takes The Cake and Bless Your Heart Blueberries to modernize your landscaping.

Include them in your mixed garden borders, or rely on them as an accent in your Kitchen Garden.

Plant 4 feet apart on center to create a solid hedge. You’ll measure from the center of one to the center of the next.

Take The Cake is narrow enough to fit in just about any sunny, little spot you might have around your yard. Don’t let another season go by without enjoying fresh blueberries picked while they are still warm from the sun.

Life is too short to miss out on the yummy flavor of homegrown fruit! We bet your mouth is watering thinking of all the pancakes, pie, buckle, slump, muffins, syrup, smoothies and jam you’ll enjoy.

#ProPlantTips for Care

Give Takes The Cake a planting site in full sun for best results. It needs at least 6 hours of direct sunlight a day to set fruit.

Good air circulation is always a positive thing for fruiting plants. Plant at least 8 feet away from a house, or other structure. You’ll want room to harvest, and to allow the breezes to blow through the branches.

Blueberries require well-drained, acidic soil with a pH between 4.5 and 5.5. If you have alkaline soil with a high pH, or clay soil that retains moisture, try growing them in containers.

Use acidic planting mix and add 1/4 pathway bark or pine straw to the mix. Top with pine straw or bark mulch, and fertilize with Dr. Earth Acidic Natural and Organic Premium Fertilizer according to the directions on the label.

Provide a moderate amount of water on a regular basis. Neutral rainwater is ideal for use on Blueberries. Set up one of those cute new Rain Barrels to capture water from your gutters.

Enjoy this fabulous new Blueberry variety. Large, juicy, healthy berries from your own bush! That truly does “take the cake.” Order today!