Rubus fruticosus agg. 'Purple Opal' (B)

RHS Plant Profile
blackberry 'Purple Opal'

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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.

Position

Full sun, Partial shade

Soil Types

Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand

Max Height

0.5-1 metres

Max Spread

0.5-1 metres

Size

Time to Maturity
2–5 years
Max Spread
0.5-1 metres
Max Height
0.5-1 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 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)
H7

Colour & Scent

Season Stem Flower Foliage Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Botanical Details

Family
Rosaceae
Native to GB/Ireland
No
Foliage
Evergreen, 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

Horticultural Classification Codes

Horticultural Classification Codes are often given to genera which have a large number of species or cultivars. They are used to categorise cultivated plants based on specific, shared characteristics such as shape, colour, size or flowering time, and can be displayed as letters or numbers

For example:
Dahlia ‘Sunset Kate (Sin) = Single flower
Rosa ‘Marigold’ (HT) = Hybrid Tea

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)