Overview
Vaccinium corymbosum 'Patriot'
A fantastic early season blueberry. This upright, deciduous bush is not only beautiful, but bears large, blue-purple fruit, ready for harvest in early summer.
 
Pick: Early July
Use: Eating & Cooking
 
Description
Patriot is a vigorous bush which is highly productive and the berries carry an oustanding true blueberry flavour with a velvet texture and firm flesh. They are ideally eaten fresh but also great in pies and preserves. Patriot is a low growing bush and adaptable to many soil types, this particular variety may perform better in wetter soils than other varieties.
 
Planting Position
Blueberries are best planted in full sun or semi-shade. They prefer an acidic soil, therefore a soil with a low pH, that is moist and well-drained. Alternatively they can be planted into a pot using erericaceous compost. You do not need to prune in the first two years. Thereafter in late February to early March, remove a quarter of the branches every year so the plant continutes to be productive. Remember birds love these fruits, so keep them covered in nets if you want them for yourself. All blueberries are partially self-fertile, planting more than one variety helps improve the yield.
 
Attributes
Patriot makes an excellent container and garden variety with its added bonus of a fantastic early spring display of snowy white blooms, dark green summer foliage and orange-red autumn colours.