Rubus ursinus

RHS Plant Profile

boysenberry

Other common names

California blackberry

Fruit Edible

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A woody deciduous shrub of long arching canes which will root and form a prickly thicket, if left untrained. The leaves are green and the flowers white and fragrant. The plant has separate male and female plants so will both both sexes will be needed for good fruiting. Other members of the family nearby may also pollinate it successfully. The fruit is small but sweet and forms decorative clusters at various stages of ripening - red through to black. Good pollen source for pollinating insects

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

1-1.5 metres

Max Spread

1.5-2.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 2–5 years
Max Spread: 1.5-2.5 metres
Max Height: 1-1.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand

Moisture: Moist but well–drained
pH: Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun Partial shade

Aspect: East–facing or South–facing or West–facing
Exposure: Sheltered
Hardiness

Hardiness Ratings

All ratings refer to the UK growing conditions unless otherwise stated. Minimum temperature ranges (in degrees C) are shown in brackets

H1A: under glass all year (>15C)
H1B: can be grown outside in the summer (10 - 15)
H1C: can be grown outside in the summer (5 - 10)
H2: tolerant of low temperatures, but not surviving being frozen (1 to 5)
H3: hardy in coastal and relatively mild parts of the UK (-5 to 1)
H4: hardy through most of the UK (-10 to -5)
H5: hardy in most places throughout the UK even in severe winters (-15 to -10)
H6: hardy in all of UK and northern Europe (-20 to -15)
H7: hardy in the severest European continental climates (< -20): H7

Colour & Scent

Fragrance Flower

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Rosaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: No
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Clump forming, Suckering, Spreading branched
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
Name Status: Correct

How to Grow

Cultivation

Train to wires on the sheltered side of a fence or wall, in any fertile soil in sun or partial shade

Propagation

Propagate by division or by layering shoot tips in spring or late summer

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Cottage and informal garden
Wildlife gardens
Edible fruit

Pruning

Once well established, cut fruited canes down to the ground in late autumn and tie in the new canes which have grown over the summer.

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

May be susceptible to grey moulds and honey fungus (rarely)