Description
Avonblue Southern Highbush Organic Blueberry Plant
Avonblue was in the first generation of selected blueberries that were developed in conjunction with the University of Florida in Gainesville. The renowned Arthur Elliott (his wife’s name was Avon) and Patrick Hartmann (father of my mentor, Danny Hartmann) were among the blueberry breeding pioneers for Florida’s mild climate.
Released in 1976, Avonblue is an heirloom cultivar (along with Sharpeblue, named after Ralph Sharpe, the breeder that started the program in the 1950’s) that still provides dependable yields and disease resistance in the modern day. This cultivar has been made available again to growers by the diligent work of Danny Hartmann and Lorenzo Rosas of Hartmann’s Plant Company.
Avon has a large, firm berry, with especially sweet flavor when ripe. 8-10# of light-blue berries can be reliably produced each year on mature plants. Having a compact habit, a mature Avon tops out at 4 to 4.5 feet tall and 3′ wide. This makes it an excellent cultivar for tighter growing spaces or container culture. Avon also has a later bloom time, helping it to avoid yield reduction due to late frosts or freezes. Ripening date in Gainesville, Florida is usually mid-May, making it an early mid-season cultivar.
Avonblue is a great heirloom cultivar that still commands a place in modern agriculture. With a hardy resistance to stem canker and other more common blueberry diseases, along with its dependable yields and compact size, makes it a great choice for southern and western growers in USDA zones 6-9. I have grown Avon here for some years now in Southern Indiana, and it has weathered well and produced some excellent berries on our young plants.
(Photo courtesy of Dan Hartmann, Hartmann’s Plant Company)
USDA hardiness zones 6-10
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