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Fruit Edible

Rubus fruticosus agg. 'Purple Opal' (B)

blackberry 'Purple Opal'

A dwarf, mid-season blackberry about 90cm tall and suited to container cultivation, with rich green leaves on thornless stems and small white or pale pink flowers in the summer, producing a harvest of sweet, rounded, purple-black fruits in August-September.

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Ultimate height

0.5–1 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

0.5–1 metres

Chalk

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained

pH

Acid, Alkaline, Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun
Partial shade

Aspect

East–facing or North–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)

Botanical details

Family: Rosaceae
Native to GB / Ireland: No
Foliage: Evergreen or Semi evergreen
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: Unresolved
Horticultural Group: This genus produces blackberries

How to grow

Cultivation

Train to wires in a sheltered spot, in any moisture-retentive, fertile soil in sun or partial shade. Alternatively, as this is a compct variety, grow free-standing. Can be grown in a container. May have the potential to become a nuisance if not managed well. See blackberry cultivation for further advice

Propagation

Propagate by division or tip layering

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Cottage and informal garden
Wildlife gardens
Patio and container plants
Edible fruit

Pruning

Once established, cut older fruited stems down to the ground once harvest is complete. Tie in new shoots to their framework.

Pests

Generally pest-free

Diseases

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

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