Rubus odoratus

RHS Plant Profile
flowering raspberry

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flowering raspberry RHS 1997

Other common names

purple-flowered bramble, purple-flowering raspberry, sweet-scented bramble, thimbleberry

Shrubs
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A strong-growing deciduous shrub forming a thicket of erect stems with large palmately lobed leaves and from early summer, panicles of purplish-pink flowers with aromatic, glandular sepals, followed by red fruit

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Loam, Sand

Max Height

1.5-2.5 metres

Max Spread

1.5-2.5 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
5–10 years
Max Spread
1.5-2.5 metres
Max Height
1.5-2.5 metres

Growing Conditions

Chalk Loam Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained or Well–drained
pH
Acid or Alkaline or Neutral

Position

Full sun Partial shade
Aspect
East–facing or South–facing or North–facing or West–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
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Bushy
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
EN America

How to Grow

Cultivation

A vigorous, spineless, thicket forming, deciduous shrub producing tasteless red berries in autumn. Will grow in full sun or partial shade

Propagation

Propagate by division in autumn

Suggested planting locations and garden types

  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Hedging and screens
  • Banks and slopes

Pruning

Pruning group 2

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

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