Rubus
Blackberry, Bramble
- Height × spread
- 0.2m – 6m × 0.3m – 8m
- Position
- All conditions
Availability
Generally available in late Spring
Many plants are seasonal. Call 01234 567890 to check current stock.
About this plant
The brambles include some ornamental forms, as well as the thuggish common bramble that delivers blackberries. There are varieties with white stems that are an ornamental feature in winter, Rubus cockburnianus for example. There is also a form that has gold foliage, Rubus cockburnianus 'Goldenvale'. There are ground hugging forms with attractive foliage that can make useful ground cover, especially over banks or large areas, Rubus 'Betty Ashburner' for example. The common blackberry is available in a number of forms that include thornless varieties (Rubus fruticosus 'Oregon Thornless'), and those with ornamental foliage.
- Flower colour
- Pink, Purple, Red, Rose, White, Yellow
- Foliage colour
- Green, White, Yellow
- Fruit colour
- Black, Purple, Red, Silver, Yellow
- Variegated
- No
- Scent
- Yes, some varieties
- Shape
- Bell, Cube, Dome, Fan, Horizontal, Prostrate
- Height
- 0.2m – 6m
- Spread
- 0.3m – 8m
- Season of interest
- Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter
- Evergreen
- Evergreen
- Garden style
- Winter garden, Small scale garden, Seaside garden, Scented garden, Prairie garden, Gravel garden, Cottage garden
- Sun or shade
- All conditions
- Soil type
- All types
- Soil pH
- All types
- Drainage
- Moisture retentive soil, Damp and wet soil, Well drained soil, Dry and shady soil, Drought resistant
- Winter hardiness
- Varies, some are not hardy
- Borders & containers
- Borders
- Use for
- Wall cover, Ground cover, Screening, Structural, Coloured stems, Rabbit resistant, Bee attraction, Butterfly attraction, Bird attraction
- Hazards
- No
Spring
Spring - late · Outdoors
Feed with slow release fertiliser
Apply a general purpose slow release fertiliser, spreading it around the root area of the plant as it is coming into growth. (Or apply a liquid feed at regular intervals throughout the growing season.)
This is a simple way to provide a nutrient boost as a single annual procedure.
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water in dry periods
Established plants in the ground can cope with 7-10 days of dryness, and shrubs often manage 2 to 3 weeks. Water one section of the garden thoroughly each day rather than a little everywhere. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather.
Spring-Autumn · Outdoors
Water to keep the soil moist
For best results, this plant needs soil that is always moist. Water deeply and regularly as soon as soil appears dry. Even for established plants in the ground, a dry week can cause problems with some soils. Check plants in pots more often, especially in hot weather. Or install an automatic irrigation system which will do the hard work for you, even when you are away on holiday.
Without regular watering some plants never fully regain their beauty.
Planting & general
Outdoors
Feed & mulch some rose varieties differently
To keep roses healthy and produce more flowers, feed during the growing season before and after flowering. Roses in containers should be fed more often than those planted in the ground, every two weeks from mid spring to late summer. Adding a mulch around the base of a rose will trap moisture and enrich the soil as it biodegrades.
Outdoors
Water some varieties differently
Some plants within this genus have additional requirements for water. It is best to look up your specific plant, or the species it belongs to for watering guidance.
Planting
Prune some varieties
Some plants within this genus have additional requirements for pruning. It is best to look up your specific plant, or the species it belongs to for pruning guidance.
Found in
More Rubus
Rubus fruticosus
Blackberry, Bramble
Rubus fruticosus
Blackberry
Rubus idaeus
Raspberry, Wild raspberry, Framboise, Mt. Ida raspberry
Rubus idaeus 'Autumn Bliss'
Raspberry
Rubus phoenicolasius
Japanese wineberry, Wineberry
Rubus 'Benenden'
Flowering bramble
Rubus 'Betty Ashburner'
Ornamental bramble
Rubus Boysenberry
Boysenberry