Rubus fruticosus agg.

RHS Plant Profile

blackberry

Other common names

bramble, bumble-kites, common blackberry, common bramble

Synonyms

Rubus adspersus
Rubus albionis
Rubus andegavensis
Rubus bartonii
Rubus bertramii
Rubus bloxamii
Rubus boraeanus
Rubus campaniensis
Rubus condensatus
Rubus coombensis
Rubus dasyphyllus
Rubus dentatifolius
Rubus egregious
Rubus frederici
Rubus fuscus
Rubus imbricatus
Rubus insectifolius
Rubus leightonii
Rubus leyanus
Rubus lindebergii
Rubus longithyrsiger
Rubus mucronatiformis
Rubus platyacanthus
Rubus pruinosus
Rubus questieri
Rubus saltuum
Rubus scaber
Rubus scabripes
Rubus scissus
Rubus silvaticus
Rubus integribasis
Rubus sprengelii
Rubus subinermoides
Rubus tamarensi
Rubus troiensis
Rubus venetorum
Rubus winteri
Rubus borreri
Rubus cf. integribasis
Rubus sprengelli
Rubus plicatus

Fruit Edible Climber Wall Shrub

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A vigorous, thorny scrambler with pink or white flowers in summer followed by edible, aromatic black fruit. The dark green leaves with three leaflets can provide good autumn tints. It is a valuable plant for wildlife, providing food and shelter. It is also an original parent of all cultivated blackberries and modern hybrids

Position

Full sun

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

1.5-2.5 metres

Max Spread

wider than 8 metres

Size

Time to Maturity: 5–10 years
Max Spread: wider than 8 metres
Max Height: 1.5-2.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Clay Loam Sand

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

Position

Full sun

Aspect: West–facing or East–facing or South–facing or North–facing
Exposure: Exposed or 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): H6

Colour & Scent

Season	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family: Rosaceae
Native to GB/Ireland: Yes
Foliage: Deciduous
Habit: Trailing
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
Plant Range: Europe

How to Grow

Cultivation

Can be fan-trained to provide fruit, but more suited to a wildlife garden. Tolerates most soils and situations, but needs sun to flower and fruit well. May have the potential to become a nuisance if not managed well. See blackberry cultivation and brambles for more advice

Propagation

Propagate by seed or by tip layering, which it does naturally

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Wildlife gardens
Edible fruit

Pruning

Cutting out old canes, and shortening new ones, helps retain some measure of control but plants may need cutting to the ground every few years

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

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