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Fruit EdibleShrubs

Rubus fruticosus agg. 'Black Butte' (B)

blackberry 'Black Butte'

Rubus fruticosus, in its broadest sense, is the blackberry. There are both thorny and thornless cultivars available with long arching canes. 'Black Butte' fruits from mid summer until early autumn. The large berries are up to 5cm long and 2.5cm wide and are suitable as dessert fruit or for cooking

Synonyms

Rubus biflorus 'Black Butte'

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Ultimate height

1.5–2.5 metres

Time to ultimate height

2–5 years

Ultimate spread

4–8 metres

Clay

Loam

Sand

Moisture

Moist but well–drained, Well–drained

pH

Neutral

	Stem	Flower	Foliage	Fruit
Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Full sun

Aspect

North–facing or West–facing or East–facing or South–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: Deciduous
Habit: 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

Usually grown fan trained. 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
Wildlife gardens
Banks and slopes
Hedging and screens

Pruning

Cut out old canes following fruiting and tie in new canes; see pruning blackberries

Pests

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

Diseases

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

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