I guess I need to check my blueberries once I get home. I'm very close to you in Cary and figured they'd be fine.

If there's thread of frost, I'll spray the plant down with a hose then cover with bed sheeting, towels, or floating row cover.

Do you often get frost damage on your blueberries? I've been growing rabbiteyes here for about 4 years and it's never been a problem for me.

My rabbiteyes started blooming in mid-March, maybe even a little earlier. I've only had them in the ground for a couple of years but have had flowers killed both springs now. I even had a few browned from the light frost we had last week.

I don't know. I'm frustrated because I want my kids to eat the blueberries out of hand, to understand how they grow, etc. It's hard enough when the d--n mockingbirds and robins eat them all if they even make it to ripeness.

I have two rows of three bushes so maybe I'll get a floating row cover - do you have any recommendation to what kind or where to get them? Do they need a support structure, poles, etc?

I have about 8 different RE bushes and none are close to blooming. All 3 of my SHB are blooming now, and some turning brown, but think it's just naturaly wilting. My first year with SHB over wintered, so I'll know soon enough how fruitset goes. Too early for bees, so not sure how cross polination will go.

are you sure yours are RE? What damage exactly happened last year?

birds were a pain last year. I made some cumbersome netting, and saved most of the crop, but won't do it again this year. If the crows comeback, I'll move all the bushes to pots I front the house. Birds never bother there due to traffic and cats.

ive seen nice pvc frame huts with rollaway netting or film. Bit expensive and need maintenance to close all holes.

Yes, I'm sure they're all rabbiteye - five different varieties - Premier, Climax, Tifblue, Powderblue, and Columbus. Supposedly the advantage of getting all the different ones (besides cross-pollination and actual fruiting) were the early/mid/late season timing for each. But they all flowered at the same time in Mid-March, that's for sure.

We had a very warm March - I remember last year they didn't start flowering until almost the end of the month.

Ferroplasm - how are yours? Did they survive?

NRG, I had almost no frost damage. I did notice a very very small number of corollas were brown yesterday afternoon. I suppose it's possible that they were killed by the frost. However, mine were all in peak bloom a couple weeks ago and most flowers have already been pollinated.

I wonder if your shrubs are located in spot that is particularly prone to frost. Are you at the bottom of a slope where cold air might collect?

Funny, I'm in Z8b, and have all those RE except Columbus, and none are flowering yet. Getting some nice budding though.

I'm in south Raleigh and have a long row with maybe 40+ bushes. Most are RE, some are no name (bought at Home Depot years ago). Mine have mostly finished blooming and have small fruits already formed. They do not seem to be affected by the recent cold snap (my yard got down to 25 for about an hour, 28 the rest of the night and morning). All sorts of other fruiting plants were damaged by the frost. I don't think there is much you can do to protect them when the temps are that low - not without supplemental heat. The bigger problem was the string of 80 degree days in March.

I think you hit the nail on the head trianglejohn. March's high temps were the killer. And you're also right that unless I want to string Christmas lights around all the bushes and cover them with legit row covers (not sheets! lesson learned) there's not much you can do with 25 degrees. I had a few other plants and trees damaged as well, so this Saturday's freeze has me worried.

The bushes are at the bottom of a hill , placed on a berm surrounding a rain garden so yes, I'm sure the cold air pools a bit there also.

I did not notice any frost damage on my blueberry plant too!! It is about 22 years old now. The one i planted last year is really small and had no flowers yet!.. so maybe it will flower later!! or, .. next year. Ferroplasm, your info on Columbus looks good. I might add this to my yard soon.