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🚚 Shipping Update:
We’re now shipping nationwide across the continental U.S. again! 🌱
📦 Please note: Shipping to California remains paused due to agricultural regulations.
🍇 Delicious Muscadine Grape (Vitis rotundifolia ‘Delicious’) – A Sweet Southern Treasure 🌟
The Delicious Muscadine Grape lives up to its name! Bred at the University of Florida and introduced in 2009, this self-fertile muscadine produces glossy black fruit with an outstanding sweet flavor. Known for its early ripening, heavy yields, and strong disease resistance, Delicious is a favorite among collectors and gardeners who want a reliable, top-quality grapevine.
🌿 Quick Facts
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Botanical Name | Vitis rotundifolia ‘Delicious’ |
| Plant Type | Fruiting Vine (Deciduous) |
| Size at Sale | Ships in 1-gallon container |
| Mature Height & Width | 12–15 ft with trellis support |
| USDA Zones | 7–9 |
| Sun Requirements | Full sun to partial sun |
| Cold Hardiness | 10–15°F (typical for muscadines) |
| Growth Habit | Vigorous climbing vine |
| Spacing Requirements | 15–20 ft apart |
| Pollination Needs | Self-fertile (no pollinator required) |
🍇 Fruit Details
- Color & Size: Glossy black fruit, round to slightly plump, averaging 8–10 grams each.
- Skin & Texture: Medium-thick skin with a juicy, tender pulp inside. Edible skin compared to older cultivars, making it enjoyable for fresh eating.
- Flavor Profile: True to its name, Delicious is described as honey-sweet, juicy, and aromatic with a rich muscadine complexity.
- Harvest Season: Early ripener — typically late July through August in Florida, slightly later in cooler zones.
- Fruiting Habits: Heavy and reliable crops with uniform ripening; one of the most productive self-fertile black muscadines.
📜 Origin Story
‘Delicious’ was bred and released in 2009 by Dr. Dennis Gray and the University of Florida’s Muscadine Grape Breeding Program. Its parentage comes from a cross of AA10-40 (a bronze selection) × CD8-81 (a black, self-fertile selection). The breeding goal was to develop a muscadine with early ripening, edible skin, high yields, and superior eating quality.
Since its release, Delicious has been praised by grape collectors and backyard growers alike for its name-worthy flavor and excellent reliability. Unlike many older muscadines, it was intentionally bred for consumer-friendly eating quality, making it one of the most popular modern cultivars for home gardens and local vineyards.
🌱 Top Benefits & Uses
- Culinary Delights: Excellent fresh from the vine; also used for jams, jellies, juice, and dessert wines.
- Nutritional Value: Rich in antioxidants, polyphenols, and resveratrol for cardiovascular and immune health.
- Ornamental Value: Dark, glossy fruit clusters contrast beautifully with vibrant green foliage on trellises and arbors.
- Cultural Significance: Part of Florida’s pioneering muscadine breeding program, carrying forward the Southeastern grape tradition into the modern era.
- Wildlife Benefits: Provides nectar for pollinators and fruit for birds.
🌼 Ornamental & Container Appeal
- Landscape Use: Thrives on arbors, fences, and trellises, combining shade and fruit harvest.
- Container Growing: Can be trained in large containers (15–25 gallons) with trellis support, though best long-term performance is in the ground.
🌿 Best Practices for Planting & Care
Where to Plant:
- Choose full sun for maximum sweetness.
- Prefers well-drained sandy loam but adapts to most soil types.
Planting Instructions:
- Plant level with soil line; do not bury the crown.
- Backfill with native soil + compost.
- Use the High & Tight planting method for best success.
Watering:
- Daily until established, then weekly.
- Increase during flowering and fruit set.
Mulching:
- Mulch around the root zone to retain moisture, but keep away from the trunk.
Pruning:
- Prune annually in winter to maintain strong growth and maximize fruit yields.
⚠️ Cautions
- Birds: Sweet fruit can attract birds; netting may be needed to protect your harvest.
- Skin: While more tender than some older cultivars, the skin is still thicker than store-bought bunch grapes.
🍷 Collector’s Notes on ‘Delicious’
Grower Impressions: Collectors consistently praise Delicious as one of the best modern black muscadines for flavor and reliability. Its combination of early ripening and edible skin makes it stand out from many older cultivars.
Flavor at Peak Ripeness: Described as “juicy, honey-sweet, and aromatic” with a tender pulp that makes it a pleasure to eat fresh.
Fruit Characteristics: Large, uniform black berries with a dry stem scar for easier picking and less spoilage. Early-season ripening makes it a favorite for growers who want fruit sooner.
In Summary: Delicious is a modern cultivar that perfectly balances eating quality, productivity, and disease resistance — a true gem of the muscadine world.
🌟 Is This Plant Right for You?
✅ Ideal For:
- Gardeners seeking a self-fertile black muscadine with excellent fresh-eating quality
- Growers in USDA zones 7–9
- Home vineyards, trellises, or arbors
- Collectors looking for a reliable early-ripening muscadine
❌ Not Ideal For:
- Gardeners outside USDA zones 7–9
- Those expecting thin-skinned supermarket-style grapes
❓ FAQ
1. Is Delicious self-fertile?
Yes, Delicious is self-fertile and will produce fruit without a companion plant.
2. How does Delicious taste compared to other muscadines?
It is sweeter and more refined than many older cultivars, with an edible skin and tender pulp.
3. How early does Delicious ripen?
It ripens earlier than many muscadine cultivars — typically late July to August in Florida.
4. Can Delicious be used for wine?
Yes, while prized as a table grape, Delicious is also suitable for juice and sweet wines.
5. How cold-hardy is Delicious?
Generally hardy to 10–15°F; not reliably hardy below zone 7.
📦 Shipping & Handling Notes
- Size Note: This 1-gallon size ships best to Florida, the Southeast, and Texas.
- Nationwide shipping available, but northern and western states may see transit stress. Allow recovery time after arrival.
- Heat/Cold Disclaimer: Please order with caution during extreme weather.
- We ship Mondays via UPS Ground from Florida. We are not responsible for heat/cold damage in transit.
📍 Local Pickup
Available for local pickup at:
GreenDreams Nursery & Farm
18709 US Hwy. 41, Spring Hill, FL 34610
Open Tues–Fri 9 AM–5 PM | Sat 8 AM–3 PM
🌿 Come see what’s fresh!
🛒 Order Today!
Ready for a muscadine that truly lives up to its name? Add ‘Delicious’ to your cart today and enjoy one of the sweetest, most reliable grapes ever bred! 🍇✨
IMPORTANT INFORMATION BEFORE PURCHASING LIVE PLANTS:
*Please be advised that our online store selections are NOT available for pickup at our retail location in Spring Hill, Florida.
Inventory for our online store is located at a separate facility and are priced and handled exclusively for packaging & shipping.
Click here to learn more about our Spring Hill, FL retail nursery location, including countless more nursery selections ready for pickup - larger sizes and wider variety of plants not suitable for nationwide delivery.
1. Shipping Stress: Transportation can be stressful for plants, particularly when they spend several days in a confined, dark environment. It’s common for plants to experience leaf drop during this period. Rest assured, most plants typically recover quickly and thrive with minimal aftercare. However, some may need extra attention, love, and care, requiring appropriate watering and exposure to gentle light post-unboxing.
2. Potential Physical Damage: Despite our dedicated efforts to ensure that your plants are securely packaged, they may incur damage during shipping and handling by UPS. Rest assured, our shipping team is committed to packing your selections with utmost care and precision to minimize any potential harm.
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For significant box damage, please reach out to UPS within 30 days to initiate a claim.
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For minor damages, such as a broken branch or stem, we advise allowing the plant time to recover and regenerate with proper care and attention.
3. Long-Distance Shipping Considerations: Orders shipped over long distances, particularly to the western US, may take 3 - 5 business days to arrive due to various factors, including agricultural inspections in Arizona, California, and Texas. Such extended transit times can be particularly challenging for tender, young plants, affecting their quality due to prolonged confinement.
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We take additional measures during packaging to facilitate a swift recovery of the plants upon unboxing.
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Initial extra care and attention might be required over the first few weeks post-transport.
For further guidance, kindly review our detailed policies on returns and refunds, as well as our comprehensive plant care guide. We appreciate your understanding and patience in nurturing your new plants.
🌿 Important Shipping Information
Please take a moment to review our shipping protocols designed to ensure your plants arrive in optimal condition.
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Countdown Clock: At the top of our online store, you'll notice a countdown clock. This tool helps communicate our weekly shipping schedule, providing clarity on when you can expect your orders to be dispatched.
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Shipping Schedule: Our nursery, located in the heart of Central Florida, ships orders once weekly, every Monday. This is a strategic decision to prevent packages from being stationary over the weekends, ensuring that our plants travel as swiftly as possible across the country, even reaching as far as California.
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Shipping Method: At present, we offer ground shipping rates to meet various needs while maintaining the well-being of our plants during transit.
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Our Dedicated Team: We are a boutique nursery with a passionate team. Our members wear many hats, contributing to shipping, nursery operations, and engaging in valuable local projects. As we blossom and expand, rest assured that enhancing and streamlining our processes remains a priority to serve you better
Terms and Conditions for Purchasing Live Plants
1. Understanding of Shipping Stress
By purchasing live plants from our store, the customer acknowledges that transportation can be stressful for plants. It is common for plants to undergo leaf drop or experience other temporary issues during shipping. However, it is understood that most plants recover quickly with adequate care and attention post-shipping.
2. Awareness of Potential Physical Damage
Customers acknowledge that despite our best efforts in packaging, there may be occurrences of damage during shipping and handling. For substantial damages to the package, customers agree to contact UPS within 30 days to initiate a claim.
3. Acknowledgement of Long-Distance Shipping Considerations
Customers recognize that shipments, especially those directed to the western US, may be subjected to longer shipping durations of 3-5 business days. Customers agree to provide necessary care to the plants, recognizing that the quality of the plants may be affected due to prolonged shipping times.
4. Agreement with Shipping Information and Schedule
Customers, by making a purchase, have reviewed and agreed upon our shipping protocols and schedules. They acknowledge the presence of a countdown clock on the website and our once-weekly shipping policy every Monday, recognizing the rationale behind avoiding weekend layovers for the plants.
5.Extreme Weather Conditions
Customers acknowledge that our store is not responsible for damage or loss of live plants due to extreme weather conditions during transit and delivery. This includes exposure to cold or freezing temperatures during the winter months and extreme heat during the summer. We provide tracking information when orders are processed every Monday to ensure customers are aware of the delivery schedule. It is the customer's responsibility to prevent packages from being left outside in conditions that may cause damage. Our store does not accept responsibility for any adverse effects caused by weather conditions beyond our control.
6. No Refund Policy
Customers agree that refunds are only processed under exceptional circumstances. Our store will not be held responsible for poor plant choices relative to location suitability, extreme conditions during and/or post-shipment, and improper post-purchase plant care.
7. Responsibility of Care
Upon purchase, customers agree to assume full responsibility for the ongoing care of the plants. This includes, but is not limited to, appropriate watering, exposure to suitable light, and adherence to specific care instructions pertinent to each plant type.
8. Consent
By proceeding with this purchase, customers consent to all the terms and conditions stated above, confirming understanding and agreement to all stipulations mentioned.
These terms and conditions aim to ensure clarity, mutual understanding, and agreement between the seller and the customer to facilitate a smooth transaction and foster a positive customer experience.