- Northern Highbush
- Late Season
- Precocious Bush Starts Bearing Early
- Medium-Sized, Powder Blue Berries
- Firm and Flavorful
- So Easy to Harvest
- Excellent Fresh Eating
- Small, Dry Picking Scar
- Bushes are Both Edible and Ornamental
- Vigorous and Upright Variety
- Well-Branched Bush
- White, Bell-Shaped Blooms in Spring
- Lustrous Green Summer Foliage
- Fall Leaves Deliver Intense Red-Orange Color
- Can Be Grown in Large Outdoor Containers
- Self-Pollinating
- Developed by Michigan State University
It’s a joy to harvest your own crop of healthy, delicious berries, especially with this valuable variety. Late season Liberty Blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum ‘Liberty’ PP #15146P3) has become known for high quality in both commercial and home garden settings.
Liberty is an abundantly productive variety. It’s also a very late ripening Blueberry, which gives it a special place in your collection.
Precocious Liberty starts to set fruit very young. Don’t be surprised to see fruit set on your Liberty Blueberry the first season you plant it!
The delicious berries are moderately large with a snappy, firm texture. They have a robust, balanced flavor and excellent firmness.
Liberty berries are a treat fresh and in baked goods. They last a long time in the fridge and freeze beautifully for use later.
Liberty is a vigorous upright-growing plant. It has a lovely spring bloom and an outstanding fall color display.
Numerous canes are moderately branched, and the fruit covers each branch. The fruit is set to the outside and well exposed.
As you might imagine, this special trait makes harvesting Liberty berries a total breeze!
Dark-green, glossy foliage contrasts nicely against the powder blue fruit. Watch in wonder in fall as the leaves turn brilliant, fiery red-orange as a fabulous fall color accent.
With very good keeping quality, these Blueberries are packed with vitamin C and high in dietary fiber. They are an excellent source of vital antioxidants.
How to Use Liberty Blueberry in the Landscape
Although Blueberries are for the most part self-fruitful, add an additional variety for a much bigger crop. Try an early season like Duke and a mid-season selection like Toro planted close by to expand and extend your season of fresh fruit.
Add a row of Blueberries anywhere you have a little sunshine. You’ll create a beautiful, informal hedge to define your yard.
Create a solid low hedge by planting four to six feet apart on center. Measure from the center of one to the center of the next.
Enjoy Liberty berries in delicious salads, smoothies, pies, jams, jellies and more with your very own fruit. Honestly, there is nothing better than knowing you have months of berries in the freezer for your family.
Grow Blueberry plants in slightly acidic soil with a pH between 4.5 and 5.5. They’ll do fine in the ground in areas where you see Rhododendrons or Lupines growing in the wild.
Alkaline soil or short on space? No yard at all? No problem. The Liberty makes a fine patio container plant.
For proper Blueberry container culture, use potting soil designed for acid-loving plants. Plan to mulch with pine bark or pine straw.
Blueberries have a shallow root system, so a wide pot is best. Ensure the pot has plenty of drainage holes, and drill more if you need to.
If your soil is alkaline, your tap water may be, too. Collect rainwater to use on your Blueberry shrubs, an easy way to enjoy a more productive plant.
For an extensive library of Blueberry advice, read our Garden Blog and watch our YouTube channel. You’ll get hands-on advice for the best “blues”.
Tips for Care
Plant your Blueberry bush in either full sun or partial shade. Please give it at least four hours of sunlight a day.
As well, Blueberries need well-drained soil that drains quickly after a rainfall. Raise the bed or plant in containers if you need to improve your drainage.
Apply a moderate amount of water on a regular basis, especially during fruit production. Catch neutral pH rainwater in a rain barrel for your Liberty Blueberries.
Prune to correct shape in late winter. Removing crossing branches and branches that grow into the interior of the plant at that time.
In early spring, fertilize with a formula for acid-loving plants according to the directions on the label. Use the application rate listed on the bottle.