Farkleberry

Year-round

Farkleberry is native throughout most of Tennessee and makes a slow-growing, low-maintenance native shrub for Memphis yards, valued for its twisted branches, small white spring flowers, and berries that feed birds through winter.

• Grow in sun to light shade in well-drained soil, it tolerates both acidic and, unusually for a Vaccinium, neutral to alkaline soil.
• Expect a slow to medium growth rate reaching 8 to 15 feet tall over time, plan for its mature size when siting it.
• It needs no fertilizer or special soil amendment once established, and tolerates a wide range of soil types.
• It is a documented larval host plant for the Striped Hairstreak and Henry's Elfin butterflies, and carries special value to native bees.

Its slow growth and tidy, twisted branch structure make it a good HOA-friendly native shrub for a foundation planting or mixed border.

Fall

Fall brings farkleberry's black berries to full ripeness and its foliage to crimson red in Memphis, a two-season native for color and wildlife value.

• Leave ripening berries on the shrub, they persist into winter and are an important food source for birds and mammals.
• Fall is a good time to plant a new shrub, cooler weather reduces transplant stress.
• No fertilizing needed heading into fall, let growth slow naturally.
• Rake fallen leaves away from the base if the site tends to stay damp, otherwise no fall cleanup is required.

Winter

As a Tennessee native, farkleberry is well matched to Memphis winters, and its persistent black berries continue feeding birds and mammals through the cold months.

• No winter protection needed, this native shrub is fully adapted to Memphis's cold season.
• Its semi-evergreen leaves and reddish, exfoliating bark provide winter garden interest even without flowers or fruit.
• Late winter, before new growth starts, is the best time for any structural pruning.
• Leave leaf litter under the shrub in place over winter, it breaks down into the kind of soil this species prefers.

Spring

Farkleberry blooms in Memphis from May into June, with small white flowers tinged pink along its branches that draw native bees.

• No pruning needed before bloom, farkleberry flowers on the previous year's wood.
• Water newly planted shrubs through spring while roots establish, mature plants need little extra water.
• Avoid heavy fertilizer at planting, it is adapted to lean, sandy or rocky native soils.
• Leave the area under the shrub unsprayed during bloom since native bees rely on it.

Summer

Through the Memphis summer, farkleberry's small green fruit ripens toward black, and the shrub itself needs very little care once established.

• Established plants tolerate Memphis's summer heat and dry spells without supplemental water.
• No summer fertilizing needed, over-feeding pushes soft growth this species does not need.
• Prune only to shape or remove dead wood, farkleberry has a naturally attractive irregular branch structure worth keeping.
• Watch for yellowing leaves in a very alkaline spot, this is one of the few Vacciniums that tolerates neutral to alkaline soil but strongly acid soil is still its preference.