Cranberries & Bilberries

Both the cranberry and the bilberry - a relative of the blueberry - are now afforded the esteemed status of 'superfood', thanks to their high vitamin and antioxidant content. Delicate bell-like flowers adorn both the bilberry and cranberry bush in spring, followed by an abundance of berries in the autumn. These berries can be eaten raw, used in jams and jellies, or dried, stored and used in cooking and baking as required.

And although cranberries in particular are well known as an American export, they can easily be grown right here in the UK. Bilberry plants (also known as huckleberry plants) have also naturalised into many a hedgerow or scrubland, and just as with the cranberry bush, they will grow quite happily in your back garden, allotment, or even in a container on a balcony or terrace.

Both cranberry plants and bilberry plants require acidic soil conditions to thrive. If you're planning on planting your bilberry or cranberry bush in open ground, then you will need to ensure that your soil is enriched with ericaceous soil or compost, so that the pH is around 4.5 - 5.5 for cranberries and between 4.5 and 6.0 for bilberries.

We supply pot grown cranberry plants and bilberry plants direct from our nursery in Kent, with each plant pruned to the appropriate height. And you needn't worry about cross fertilisation, as each variety of cranberry and bilberry that we offer is self fertile, meaning it requires no pollination partner in order to produce those nutrient rich berries.

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