About
Rubus cockburnianus is a bushy shrub that develops arching, spiny stems adorned with a striking white bloom during the winter months. Its pinnate leaves, measuring up to 20 cm in length, feature lance-shaped leaflets that are dark green on the upper surface and covered in white hairs underneath. The plant produces racemes of 1 cm wide, saucer-shaped purple flowers, which are succeeded by rounded black fruits that are not suitable for consumption.
About the genus
Rubus comprises shrubs that can be either deciduous or evergreen, frequently growing in a scrambling manner. These plants are characterized by their bristly or spiny stems, which support simple, lobed, palmate, or pinnate foliage. The flowers typically have five petals and are succeeded by juicy fruits, some of which are edible.
Growing conditions
- Sunlight
- Full sun
- Soil type
- Chalk, Loam, Sand
- Soil pH
- Acid, Alkaline, Neutral
- Soil moisture
- Moist but well-drained, Well-drained
- Aspect
- South-facing, East-facing, West-facing
- Exposure
- Exposed, Sheltered
- UK hardiness
- H6
Plant details
- Plant type
- Shrubs
- Habit
- Suckering
- Foliage
- Deciduous
- Height
- 2.5-4 metres
- Spread
- 2.5-4 metres
- Time to full height
- 5-10 years
- Suggested uses
- Cottage and informal garden
- Native to
- N and C China
Care notes
- Cultivation
- Easy to grow in well-drained moderately fertile soil in full sun
- Pruning
- Pruning group 7
- Propagation
- Propagate by softwood cuttings in summer or hardwood and root cuttings in early winter
- Pest resistance
- Generally pest-free
- Disease resistance
- May be susceptible to grey moulds and honey fungus (rarely)