Blackberry
Rubus fruticosus
Espalier wall with blackberries on a garage wall
Blackberries scramble up on an acoustic wall
Blackberries along an adjacent building (annex). The suspended ladder comes in handy as a trellis..
Flowering blackberries on an espalier with horizontal battens
The lush and vigorous growth, the thorns and the (almost) evergreen foliage make the Blackberry very suitable for fencing in gardens. Also trained as espaliers for its berries.
Requirements
Sunny (full sun) to part-shaded Position, fruit development better in warm, humid positions protected from wind. Grows almost anywhere, but soil is to be neither too dry nor too poor.
Growth and Leaves
Scrambler, up to 5cm thick canes with a life expectancy of 2-3 years, numerous fruit-bearing side shoots from 2nd year. Yearly additional shoot growth 6-8m, forms suckers, foliage lasting well into winter.
Flower and Fruit
White flowers, in June and July. Sweet and highly aromatic berries are produced by the cultivar “Theodor Reimers.” “Wilson's Frühe” ripens earlier but is less aromatic. The thornier and nastier the plant, the sweeter the fruit! This also works the other way round: thornless blackberries may be interesting, but they taste much less delicious...
Growth Support Systems
Fences, meshes, espaliers with ample space for full development. For best growth support systems refer below. Light, but better Medium and Heavy Duty Growth Support Systems.
Pruning
Cultivation in 2-year cycle. Long canes from the previous year are bound horizontally onto the espalier, from which the fruit-bearing side shoots will grow. During summer, already separate and if necessary, attach new canes growing from the root stock, for the following year. After the harvest, cut back to the ground all current fruit-bearing canes from the previous year, and as mentioned earlier, the new shoots will bear fruit in the following year.
Blackberry espalier in autumn
Espalier with Blackberry in spring
Wooden espalier with blackberries along a garage.
Growth support system for blackberries made from the timber of Robinia, spanned with stainless steel cables.
Fruits |
Blackberry espalier in autumn, new canes already attached. |
|
Hoar-frost |
