| This Northern Highbush has been a favorite for some time, and no wonder. The berries are HUGE (sometimes as large as a quarter or more!), light blue, and packed with tangy-sweet flavor that lingers deliciously after eating. It begins fruiting early and keeps going for a long season, and even offers fall foliage changes to keep the garden attractive! 'Spartan' berries are easy to pick, thanks to the upright, well-branched habit of this shrub. Expect it to reach 5 to 6 feet high and 4 to 6 feet wide, with more berries than you'd expect from a bush nearly twice its size. In addition to its scrumptious fruit, 'Spartan' offers plenty of 1/2-inch white blooms in spring, plus orange and red fall foliage. Even if you gave all the berries to the birds (creating garden color of a different sort!), this shrub would be attractive enough to plant in the sunny border or meadow garden! 'Spartan' performs best in sandy loam that has been well enriched with organics. Work on your soil a bit before planting this Northern Highbush, and it will repay you richly over the years! Zones 5-7. |
