Three-stage pink fruit
Colour changes clearly from green through pale to deep pink, helping you recognise fully ripe berries.
1
Vaccinium ‘Pink Lemonade’ 13cm
Normal price
€12,50
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Vaccinium ‘Pink Lemonade’
The superfood that dressed in pink 💖
- Berries turn green to deep pink
- Sweet, gently floral flavour
- Orange-red autumn foliage
- Mature habit 1–1.5m
Vaccinium ‘Pink Lemonade’ changes the familiar picture of a blueberry, with fruit that ripens to glowing pink instead of blue. Its mild, sweet flavour adds an unexpected touch to a bowl of fruit, a dessert or the first picking straight from the branch. Before the berries arrive, small pink-white flowers mark the new season. This is a cultivar with a distinctive personality, combining the curiosity of that first taste with the pleasure of fresh fruit grown at home.
Its upright, branching form adds height and lightness to an acid-loving planting, while glossy foliage provides a clear backdrop for the pink berries. Later, warm autumn tones continue its ornamental presence even after the harvest has finished.
What makes it special
‘Pink Lemonade’ stands out before it is tasted and wins you over completely with its sweet, unusually gentle flavour.
Sweet flavour for fresh picking
Ripe berries are sweet, mild and lightly floral, excellent alone or over desserts.
Four-season shrub
Pink-white spring blossom and warm autumn colour keep the plant attractive beyond harvest.
Why you will love it: It is a rare case where unusual colour is matched by genuinely delicious flavour and an elegant habit.
In the garden & on the terracePositioning & plant combinationsA sunny or bright position, acidic compost and open space around its upright crown.
Ideal position
Give it morning sun, or full sun in a cooler area, with light afternoon shade where summers are very hot. In a large container use ericaceous compost only.
Compatible combinations
Three acid-loving plants create layers of foliage and flower without crowding the shallow roots.
- Calluna vulgaris — A low flowering edge that enjoys the same acidic conditions.
- Gaultheria procumbens — Glossy low foliage and winter red berries continue the colour story.
- Leucothoe fontanesiana — Arching stems and bronze tones make a calm backdrop to the pink blueberry.
Care at a glance
Light
Sun or bright partial shade; protect roots from fierce reflected heat.
Water
Even moisture with low-mineral water, without waterlogging.
Climate & hardiness
Very good winter hardiness; containers need protection during prolonged freezes.
Safety
Wash fully ripe fruit before eating.
Detailed careComplete care guideSoil, watering, support, feeding and cultivar-specific prevention.
Acid soil
Plant only in ericaceous compost at about pH 4.5–5.5. In lime-rich ground, use a large container so roots remain in the correct conditions.
Watering
Water as the surface begins to dry, preferably with rainwater or another low-mineral source. Never allow the root ball to dry completely.
Shape & airflow
Maintain 6–8 well-spaced stems and an open centre. Support only a branch that bows under its load.
Feeding
In spring use an ericaceous feed according to its label. Small regular doses are safer than one heavy application.
Summer care
Keep roots cool with pine bark and protect the container from fierce reflected heat. Foliage needs light, while roots must not overheat.
Prevent problems
Check pH regularly, remove dead or crossing wood and water at the base so foliage dries quickly.
From flower to basketFruiting & harvestSimple guidance on pollination, ripening, picking and protecting the crop.
Pollination
For good fruit set, grow it with a different rabbiteye-type cultivar that flowers at the same time. Its particular ancestry means that an unspecified highbush blueberry is not a suitable general recommendation.
When it ripens
Berries ripen gradually from late summer as pale pink deepens and the fruit softens slightly.
How to harvest
Pick only deep-pink berries that release with a gentle twist. Leave pale-pink fruit to sweeten on the bush.
Fruit protection
As fruit begins turning pink, stretch netting over a separate frame so it does not touch the berries.
After planting: maintain even moisture and let the shrub establish before removing only dead or broken twigs.
Clear pruning planHow to prune this fruiting plantLate winter, before new buds open
When to prune
Late winter, before new buds open
‘Pink Lemonade’ needs light pruning. During the first years build an open upright shrub; later remove at the base only one or two of the oldest, least productive branches.
01
Build
Young shrub
Action: Remove only broken, dead or very weak growth at the base.
Retain: Retain every strong upright stem and its complete tip.
02
Train
Open centre
Action: Remove one crossing branch or a low stem leaning towards the ground.
Retain: Retain 6–8 stems with gaps so light reaches throughout.
03
Renew
Gentle renewal
Action: Cut at the base one old thick branch producing little new growth.
Retain: Retain younger paler stems that will carry future crops.
New / productive — retainOld or exhausted woodCut point
Clean tools
Use sharp, clean tools suited to the diameter of the wood.
After pruning
Remove cut branches and renew pine bark without covering the crown.
Do not do this: Do not shear the top evenly; this removes flower buds and spoils the natural upright form.
Development over timeHow the plant developsA realistic path from establishment to mature form.
Root establishment
The first strong stems build an upright framework while fine roots spread through acidic compost.
Flowers and colouring
Pink-white bell-shaped flowers form green berries that slowly turn pink.
Mature shrub
Younger and older stems share an open crown with fruit and warm autumn foliage.
Mature habit & dimensions
Mature formHeight 1–1.5mSpread 0.8–1.2mUpright multi-stem shrub
Mature ‘Pink Lemonade’ has an open upright crown, slender productive branches and pink berries at different ripening stages.
Form through the seasons
Spring flowers · pink fruit in late summerPink berriesDeciduousAcid pH 4.5–5.5
Spring flowersSmall pink-white urn-shaped flowers hang in clusters at the ends of slender branches.
Pink harvestBerries pass through pale and deeper pink shades against the glossy green foliage.
Pink colour develops as pigments increase in the skin; the sweetest flavour arrives after the deep-pink stage.
What to expect after planting: The first strong stems build an upright framework while fine roots spread through acidic compost.
History & originCultivar originCrossed in 1991, selected in 1996, released in 2005 and named ‘Pink Lemonade’ in 2007.
In 1991, at Chatsworth in New Jersey, USDA geneticist Mark K. Ehlenfeldt crossed selection NJ 89-158-1 with ‘Delite’. The cross brought complex highbush-type genetic material together with rabbiteye blueberry ancestry.
In 1996, a vigorous upright plant stood out because its berries ripened pink instead of blue. Recorded as ARS 96-138, it underwent evaluation in New Jersey and at Corvallis, Oregon. Its unusual fruit attracted the attention of visitors and nurserymen.
The USDA released the selection in 2005 and named it ‘Pink Lemonade’ in 2007. That same year, it received a “best new shrub” honour at the Far West Horticultural Show. An experimental blueberry with an unexpected colour had found its place among plants valued for both ornamental appeal and edible fruit.
Greenleaf for Plant NerdsScientific details nobody asked forBotanical detail behind the plant's appearance and behaviour
Hexaploid ancestry
The cultivar has six chromosome sets. Its complex ancestry is divided approximately equally between rabbiteye blueberry and a synthetically derived hexaploid highbush-type line.
The star at the berry tip
The flower’s five sepals remain at the tip of each berry, forming its characteristic star-shaped calyx. As the ovary develops into fruit, the corolla falls away but the calyx persists.
Frequently asked questions
Six practical answers for choosing, growing, harvesting and pruning this exact cultivar.
01Does it need another plant?
For good fruit set, grow it with a different rabbiteye-type cultivar that flowers at the same time. Its particular ancestry means that an unspecified highbush blueberry is not a suitable general recommendation.
02How large does it become?
1–1.5m high and approximately 0.8–1.2m wide, with the habit described above.
03Is it suitable for a container?
Yes, in a container of at least 40–50 litres with ericaceous compost, free drainage and protection from root overheating.
04When is the fruit picked?
From late summer, once berries are deep pink and release easily.
05When is it truly ripe?
When pale pink becomes deep, the berry yields slightly to touch and the flavour no longer tastes sharp.
06When should it be pruned?
In late winter remove only dead or crossing growth and gradually one very old branch at the base.
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