A hardy and very easy care clumping perennial plant, growing up to a metre high and wide. It has sprays of small blue flowers in spring and summer, followed by edible bright blue berries. The berries have small black seeds inside. It grows from an underground rhizome, so it can be cut back to tidy up if needed and it will resprout. A good plant for stabilising sand, and will grow well on coastal sites. Frost and drought tolerant once established. Grows in sun to shady spots.
New plantings should be watered daily for a couple of weeks. After that, depending on the weather and soil type, watering may be adjusted to every two or three days. Clay soils hold moisture longer than sandy soils, so expect to water more frequently in sandy settings.Different plants have different water needs. Some plants prefer staying on the dry side, others, like to be consistently moist.
Incorporate fertilizer into the soil when preparing beds for new plants. Established plants should be fed in early spring, then again halfway through the growing season. Avoid applying fertilizer late in the growing season. This stimulates new growth that can be easily damaged by early frosts.
Depending on the flowering habit, snip off faded blooms individually, or wait until the blooming period is over and remove entire flower stalk down to the base of the plant. Removing old flower stems keeps the plant’s energy focused on vigorous growth instead of seed production. Foliage can be pruned freely through the season to remove damaged or discolored leaves, or to maintain plant size.
