Edible gardening offers healthy fresh food, grown locally using only the materials the gardener chooses. Not everyone has the time or desire to install or maintain a vegetable garden. For those who garden and maintain their yard yet don’t have the time or resources to step into launching a vegetable garden. Edible gardening is spreading into landscapes with plants that offer beauty and produce food.
In containers tomato plants mixed with Marigolds accent patios, in foundation gardens herb bordered by colorful annuals create gardens that offer form and function in landscapes.
Along those lines, the new Pink Lemonade’ Blueberry offers a visually appealing shrub with a culinary twist. Texas garden centers introduced the new pink blueberry recently, and response has been tremendous according to Marce Ward, Vice President of the Fort Worth based garden center Calloway’s Nursery.
“We’re always striving to bring new plant introductions to gardeners. But it’s not every day we get a new plant like this. The plant thrives in landscapes while producing a nice berry harvest,” said Ward.
The ‘Pink Lemonade’ Blueberry offers colorful berries and delicious fruit along with Fall foliage accent colors of red and yellow hues. The plant can be grown as a landscape bush reaching 4.5 feet in width and five feet in height in about ten years. The ‘Pink Lemonade’ Blueberry plant can be used for mixed borders, mass plantings or fruit production.
The ‘Pink Lemonade’ came on the garden scene when two types of blueberry plants were bred to create the new and unique variety. ’Pink Lemonade’ thrives farther south than many blueberry varieties making it more widely available.
Ward recommends getting expert garden advice when planting blueberries. ”While the ‘Pink Lemonade’ Blueberry doesn’t require a lot of maintenance, it’s important to prepare the soil and plant any shrub properly to have the healthiest plant possible. With the appropriate feeding and care the plant will be a beautiful garden accent and provide a bountiful harvest.”
The pink berries of ‘Pink Lemonade’ are translucent white berries that mature into a luscious bright pink and taste sweet with a firm, clear texture. The shrubs provide interesting for the garden and for edible enjoyment.
While the berry color and flavor appeals to the gourmet cooks and those seeking a culinary novelty, the beauty of the plant with its rosy fruit and vigorous habit make the ‘Pink Lemonade’ a plant that is both beautiful and functional.
Ward encourages gardeners to consider adding the ‘Pink Lemonade’ Blueberry to their landscapes. ”Once you grow one of the new varieties of berry bushes you’ll be hooked. There’s a real enjoyment out of harvesting fresh berries from beautiful shrubs around your home and bringing them straight to your kitchen to enjoy. It doesn’t get any fresher than that,” said Ward.
Winter and early Spring is the best time to plant berries in Texas. For blueberry planting and care instructions get details here or visit your local garden center for advice.
