Woodard Rabbiteye Blueberry

Light Needs

Full Sun

(At Least 6 Hours Of Direct Sunlight)

Mature Height

5-6 Feet

Mature Spread

5-6 Feet

Growing Zones

9 to 10

The Vaccinium ashei 'Woodard' is a Rabbiteye variety of blueberry known for glossy foliage and an early crop of high-quality berries. Once established, this vigorously growing plant can provide up to 15 pounds of blueberries, meaning you will have enough of a crop to make pies, muffins, and more. Bell-shaped white flowers first appear in the early spring and look striking against the glossy bluish-green foliage. The plant will be covered in medium to large dark blue fruit by late spring or early summer.

This plant is heat-tolerant, allowing it to easily handle the warm temperatures of USDA zones 8 through 10, where it grows as a perennial. Expect this shrub to top out around 6 feet tall, making it a good size plant but still manageable. Plant this bush in a hedge or a row with other types of blueberries to allow for cross-pollination. The leaves will turn a shade of red-orange in the fall before dropping from this deciduous bush in the winter.

Woodard Rabbiteye Blueberry Plant Care

Blueberry plants need full sun and rich, acidic soil. The soil should have a pH of 4.5 to 5.2. This plant has medium water needs, and it will need more water during the growing season when it is bearing fruit. Water when the top couple of inches of soil feels dry. Use mulch around the plant base to help prevent evaporation and keep the roots damp longer. Blueberry bushes do not need to be fed during their first year but apply a slow-release acidic fertilizer starting in the second year.

Trim away shoots and thin out lower branches to prevent fruit from sagging to the ground. Prune the plant to remove dead growth when the plant is dormant. Plant at least 2 different blueberry bushes in the same area to promote cross-pollination.

Woodard Rabbiteye Blueberry Plant Spacing

The Woodard Rabbiteye Blueberry bush grows about 5 to 6 feet tall and just as wide once mature. Space plants 4 to 5 feet apart if you want a lush hedge of foliage, or place the plants about 6 feet apart to allow room to move around the plants.