Plant Library

Group/Class:  Shogun Series

Brand:  Monrovia

Description:

This tightly branched, compact variety is a superb ornamental shrub that can also be maintained as a screen or hedge; older leaves turn a stunning red and persist until new leaves emerge; subtle flowers are highly fragrant; fruits are deep cobalt blue

Ornamental Features

Shogun® Little Emperor™ Japanese Blueberry Tree features subtle fragrant nodding creamy white bell-shaped flowers along the branches from early to mid summer. It has attractive scarlet-variegated dark green foliage with hints of chartreuse which emerges coppery-bronze in spring. The glossy pointy leaves are highly ornamental and remain dark green throughout the winter. The fruits are showy royal blue drupes with black overtones, which are displayed from early to late fall. The fruit can be messy if allowed to drop on the lawn or walkways, and may require occasional clean-up.

Landscape Attributes

Shogun® Little Emperor™ Japanese Blueberry Tree is a dense multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a shapely oval form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition.

This shrub will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and should only be pruned after flowering to avoid removing any of the current season's flowers. It is a good choice for attracting birds, bees and butterflies to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Messy

Shogun® Little Emperor™ Japanese Blueberry Tree is recommended for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• Windbreaks and Shelterbelts

Planting & Growing

Shogun® Little Emperor™ Japanese Blueberry Tree will grow to be about 8 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 8 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 1 foot from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 60 years or more.

This shrub does best in full sun to partial shade. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist locations, and should do just fine under average home landscape conditions. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for xeriscaping or the moisture-conserving landscape. It is not particular as to soil type or pH, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is highly tolerant of urban pollution and will even thrive in inner city environments. Consider applying a thick mulch around the root zone in winter to protect it in exposed locations or colder microclimates. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.