About
The thornless boysenberry is a vigorous hybrid berry with thornless canes spreading up to 2m wide. Small white flowers are borne in spring and the purple-black fruits, tasting like sweet blackberries, ripen in late summer.
About the genus
Rubus can be deciduous or evergreen shrubs, often scrambling with bristly or prickly stems bearing simple, lobed, palmate or pinnate leaves and 5-petalled flowers followed by juicy, sometimes edible fruits
Growing conditions
SunlightFull sun
Soil typeClay, Loam, Sand
Soil pHNeutral
Soil moistureMoist but well-drained, Well-drained
AspectSouth-facing, North-facing, West-facing, East-facing
ExposureSheltered
UK hardinessH6
Plant details
Plant typeFruit Edible, Shrubs
HabitTrailing
FoliageDeciduous
Height1.5-2.5 metres
Spread1.5-2.5 metres
Time to full height2-5 years
Suggested usesCottage and informal garden
Care notes
CultivationUsually fan-trained on free-standing post and wire support systems or can be grown vertically over an arch. Mulch with well-rotted compost or manure
PruningCut out old canes following fruiting and leave new canes tied together with soft string over winter. Untie and train along the support system in the spring. See pruning hybrid berries for more detail
PropagationPropagate by tip layering or from cuttings
Pest resistanceMay be susceptible to aphids, raspberry beetle and gall mites
Disease resistanceMay be susceptible to grey moulds and honey fungus (rarely)