Not the plant you're looking for? Search over 300,000 plants
Climber Wall ShrubShrubs

Rubus fruticosus agg. 'Arapaho' (B)
  • RHS Plants for pollinators

An early-season, self-fruiting thornless blackberry with rose-shaped, pinkish-white flowers in spring. Glossy, small-seeded black berries appear in early summer, which can be eaten freshly picked or used to make into preserves or juices. Great for wildlife

Buy this plant
Size
Ultimate height
1.5–2.5 metres
Time to ultimate height
2–5 years
Ultimate spread
1–1.5 metres
Growing conditions
Clay
Loam
Sand
Moisture
Moist but well–drained, Well–drained
pH
Acid, Neutral
Colour & scent
StemFlowerFoliageFruit
Spring Pink White Green
Summer Green Black
Autumn Green
Winter
Position
  • Full sun
  • Partial shade
Aspect

East–facing or North–facing or South–facing or West–facing

Exposure
Sheltered
Hardiness
H7
Botanical details
Family
Rosaceae
Native to GB / Ireland
No
Foliage
Deciduous
Habit
Climbing, 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

Accepted

How to grow

Cultivation

Well-drained, neutral soil. Mulch with well-rotted compost or manure. May have the potential to become a nuisance if not managed well. See blackberry cultivation for further advice

Propagation

Propagate by tip layering or from cuttings

Suggested planting locations and garden types
  • Cottage and informal garden
  • Climber and wall shrubs
  • Edible fruit
  • Wall side borders
Pruning

Prune at the ground level all the canes that have fruited. You can do this after harvest or during the dormant season. Thin out the remining canes to 8-10 strongest per plant

Pests

May be susceptible to aphids, leafhoppers, raspberry beetle and gall mites

Diseases

Generally disease-free

Get involved

The Royal Horticultural Society is the UK’s leading gardening charity. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place.