Little Giant Blueberry

Compact interspecific hybrid blueberry with upright growth form, as wide as tall. Light pink flowers in spring. Ornamental fall foliage. Developed primarily as a processing/freezing cultivar adapted for northern growing regions including Michigan, North Carolina, New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington. Classified as a "highbush type cultivar" but significantly shorter than standard highbush varieties. One of the slowest cultivars to deacclimate in spring, providing excellent frost tolerance.

Very small berries yielding approximately 1,000 berries per pound (among the smallest cultivated blueberries). Sweet flavor with fine aromas, very similar to wild lowbush blueberries. Good fresh fruit quality that stores 7-10 days at 40°F. Excellent for frozen and processing markets. Fruits ripen uniformly with 85% ripening by August 1 in southwest Michigan. Loose fruit clusters enable mechanical harvesting. Moderate yields for processing, though variable vigor has limited commercial adoption.

Complex interspecific hybrid developed by USDA breeder Arlen D. Draper at Beltsville, Maryland and released 1995-1996. This unique combination combines the exceptional cold hardiness, late bloom, and superior flavor of V. constablaei with the vigor of rabbiteye germplasm. Released as potential processing variety for Michigan but has experienced variable vigor and dieback problems, limiting commercial uptake. Related cultivar 'Snowflake' from similar germplasm found little favor due to Phytophthora root-rot susceptibility. Consistent yields averaging 15 pounds per plant when performing well. The V. constablaei parent contributes late flowering (advantageous for frost avoidance), exceptional cold hardiness, and flavor improvement over straight rabbiteye types. Other highbush blueberries successfully pollinate this hybrid. Favored by home gardeners for ornamental qualities and manageable plant size.