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Fruit Edible

Rubus 'Silvan' (F)

silvanberry

Blackberry 'Silvan' is suitable for culinary or dessert use and has attractive large, well-flavoured fruit. An early-ripening cultivar, it is very vigorous and thorny

Other common names

American bramble

Synonyms

Rubus 'Silvanberry'
Rubus 'Scoresby Selection'

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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

South–facing or West–facing or East–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 the UK: 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

Grow in well-drained, deep soil that has been enriched with organic matter such as well-rotted manure or compost

Propagation

Propagate by tip layering or from cuttings

Suggested planting locations and garden types

Cottage and informal garden
Wall side borders

Pruning

Usually fan trained, but blackberries can be trained in many creative ways. The principle is cut out fruited canes, leaving new growth to train in for fruiting the following year. Further advice on 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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