Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants

Fruit EdibleShrubs

Vaccinium parvifolium

red bilberry

This is a graceful shrub or short tree reaching nearly 2m in favourable conditions. It has deciduous green leaves which turn red in autumn and small white bell-shaped flowers borne individually in leaf axils, which develop into bright red edible berries

Other common names

red huckleberry

Save to My plants

Ultimate height

1.5–2.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

1–1.5 metres

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

East–facing or North–facing or South–facing or West–facing

Exposure

Sheltered

Hardiness
Hardiness ratings
All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets
H1a: under glass all year (>15C)
H1b: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1c: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20)

Botanical details

Family: Ericaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Spreading branched, Bushy, Columnar upright
Genus: Vaccinium can be evergreen or deciduous shrubs or small trees, with simple leaves and small, bell- or urn-shaped flowers followed by juicy, sometimes edible berries
Name status: Correct
Plant range: Western N America

How to grow

Cultivation

Grow in moist but well-drained acidic soil. Choose a sheltered site in full sun or light shade in the north, light shade in the south.

Propagation

Propagate by softwood cuttings in late spring or semi-ripe cuttings in summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Cottage and informal garden
Edible fruit

Pruning

No pruning required

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

May be susceptible to honey fungus (rarely), powdery mildews, root rot and chlorosis due to iron and manganese deficiency; see nutrient deficiencies

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.