The rabbiteye is native to the Gulf Coast states and fruits well from eastern North Carolina, southward to central Florida, and westward to eastern Texas and Arkansas. Rabbiteye blueberries are vigorous and productive throughout Mississippi. Their linear growth may exceed l0 feet. Flowering usually occurs in late February to mid-March. The flower buds for the following year form on new growth in late summer and fall.
Blueberry bushes are deciduous and lose their leaves in the winter.
The native soil in which blueberries thrive is a moist, well-drained soil rich in organic matter with a pH of 4.5 to 5.5. The closer this combination is duplicated in the home garden, the more vigorous and productive rabbiteye blueberries are. Blueberry roots lack root hairs that are common on most other plants, but the entire root system is fine and fibrous. The root system is confined to the upper 8 to l0 inches of the soil and is a weak competitor for water and nutrients. Weed control is extremely important if plantings are to achieve their potential.