Often considered to have the best flavor of the Southern highbush, large dark blue fruit matures very early from summer to early fall. Needs only 400 hours of chill.

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Vaccinium corymbosum occurs throughout all of eastern North America but 'O'Neal' might be the best blueberry for the southeast because it requires relatively few chill hours (the minimum hours at a low temperature in order to set fruit), and it is self-fertile so you do not need two different varieties. 'O'Neal' averages 4-6 feet tall and 6 feet wide. The fruit ripens early and has a good yield of large, very tasty berries. Blueberries are an almost perfect landscape shrub. They are easy to grow and are very attractive when in flower and during the summer, and they have great fall foliage color before the leaves fall off. Blueberries prefer full sun and good, acidic soil that is moist but well drained.

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