Vaccinium darrowii 'Sebring'

Darrow's blueberry is the small-leaved evergreen of the Southern blueberries, a low native of the sandy pinelands of the Deep South, named for George M. Darrow of the United States Department of Agriculture, whose breeding work shaped the modern blueberry. Most plants of the species carry blue-green foliage, but 'Sebring' is a clone Woodlanders found in Highlands County, Florida and selected for the very small, bright green leaves that give the shrub a fine, tidy texture all its own.

Chosen for ornamental quality as much as fruit, 'Sebring' makes an attractive, compact garden subject, dense and neat, carrying the small, bell-like flowers and small edible berries typical of the blueberries. The fine green foliage stays evergreen through the year, a quiet, well-behaved presence at the front of a bed.

In the wild, Darrow's blueberry grows in the pinelands of the Deep South on sandy, acid soils that drain freely or at least never flood, and 'Sebring' keeps that preference. Give the plant a sunny spot and sharp drainage, and the shrub settles in with little fuss.

Use 'Sebring' in a native plant garden, an edible landscape, or a mixed shrub border, where the fine texture reads against bolder leaves, and grow the shrub in full sun for the best, densest effect. Pair with other acid-loving natives on lean, sandy ground, and enjoy an evergreen blueberry grown as much for foliage as for the modest crop.