About
White flowers are followed by bluish-black fruits that are smaller than blackberries. A deciduous woody plant, similar to a bramble, that will trail as groundcover or grow upwards if given support. Stems will flower and bear fruit in their second year, then die back.
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, Partial shade
Soil typeClay, Loam, Sand, Chalk
Soil pHAcid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil moistureMoist but well-drained
AspectEast-facing, North-facing, South-facing, West-facing
ExposureExposed, Sheltered
UK hardinessH6
Plant details
Plant typeShrubs, Climber Wall Shrub, Fruit Edible
HabitMatforming, Trailing, Climbing
FoliageDeciduous
Height1.5-2.5 metres
Spread1-1.5 metres
Time to full height2-5 years
Suggested usesMixed borders, hedging, foundation planting.
Native toEurope to Himalayas, NW Africa, Yemen
Care notes
CultivationGrows well in sun or partial shade in free-draining soil. Can be kept under control with annual pruning and removal of newly rooted sections of stem
PruningPrune out old fruited stems
PropagationPropagate by seed or by tip layering, which it does naturally
Pest resistanceGenerally pest-free
Disease resistanceMay be susceptible to grey moulds and honey fungus (rarely)