Acid-Loving Plants to Put Around Blueberries

Ground Covers

• Many plants thrive in the same U.S. Department of Agriculture planting zones as blueberries do, although some cultivars of blueberries grow in almost any climate in the U.S. Heather, an evergreen, grows in acidic soils and moist conditions. It has varieties that bloom in white, pink or red. Pachistima, another acid-lover, displays bronze autumn color. Wintergreen, a broad-leafed, creeping plant, adds seasonal variation with red berries that appear in the fall. Pachistima and wintergreen grow in partial shade.

Landscape Plants

• Blueberries are becoming more popular as people become more interested in edible landscaping, and the fruits can be used in many ways. Ann Crighton-Harris, a landscape designer in Columbia Falls, Maine, writes that blueberries are an attractive low-maintenance ornamental with multi-seasonal display. She recommends companion planting rhododendron, comptonia, juniper and heath. Rhododendron is one of the most popular landscaping plants in the U.S. Juniper has growth habits of upright and mounding, and both succeed in woodsy garden settings. Comptonia, a fern belonging to the bayberry family, has aromatic leaves when crushed.

Blue Hydrangeas

• Many woodland plants grow well in acidic soil, but one of the most famous is the hydrangea. Soil pH affects the plant’s ability to convert aluminum from the soil. Acidic soils increase aluminum uptake, which causes the blossoms of some Hydrangeas to flower in blue. More alkaline soils with a pH of 6 or more cause other hydrangeas to bloom in pink. A few hydrangea cultivars are excellent blueberry companions, including Blue Prince, Blue Wave and Nikko Blue, which grows between 4 and 6 feet.

Other Woodland Plants

• Other woodland plants that live for acidic conditions include petunia, pansy, azalea and viola. Another plant that deserves mentioning in association with blueberry is holly. Blueberries and holly share a love for organic matter. Ilex verticillata, sometimes called “winterberry” or “Michigan holly,” is a native plant to the U.S., displays autumn color and then forms red berries that remain in winter. Place holly in the sunniest part of your blueberry bed for the best performance. Some berry plants, cranberry for example, appreciate the same growing environment as blueberries.