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Rubus caesius

European dewberry

Rosaceae Europe and western Asia

Attracts Pollinators Attracts Butterflies

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

WaterMedium

HardinessZones 5–8

Overview

Rubus caesius is a low, scrambling bramble in the rose family, producing slender, trailing stems 3-6 feet (1-2 m) long that are coated with a blue-grey waxy bloom and armed with weak, slender prickles. The stems root where they touch the ground, forming loose, sprawling thickets rather than tall arching canes. Leaves are usually trifoliate, with toothed, mid-green leaflets 1-3 inches (2.5-8 cm) long. White, five-petalled flowers about 0.8-1 inch (2-2.5 cm) across open from late spring into summer. The fruit is a cluster of a few large, rounded drupelets that ripen blue-black under a heavy waxy bloom, giving a dewy grey cast. The plant grows in damp grassland, hedgerows, scrub, dune slacks, and disturbed calcareous ground across Europe and western Asia. It spreads by rooting stems and seed and can form persistent patches that are hard to clear once established. The prickly trailing growth and small fruit clusters make it less manageable than cultivated blackberries.

Native Range

Native to Europe and western Asia, from Britain and Scandinavia south to the Mediterranean and east into central Asia.

Suggested Uses

Found in wild hedgerows, scrub, and naturalized banks where its sprawling growth binds soil. The berries are gathered from the wild for eating and preserves. It is seldom grown deliberately in cultivated beds.

How to Identify

Tell it from other brambles by its low, trailing, weakly prickled stems with a distinct blue-grey waxy coating and its mostly three-part leaves. The fruit has only a few large drupelets, fewer than a blackberry, and ripens blue-black under a grey, dewy bloom. Flowers are white with broad, well-separated petals.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height3' - 6'

Width/Spread3' - 6'

Colors

Flower Colors

white

Foliage Colors

green

Fall Foliage Colors

no change

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~10 weeks

Spring Summer

White flowers open from May or June through summer, sometimes continuing into early autumn. Flowers and fruit are often present on the plant at the same time. Fruit ripens from midsummer onward.

Detailed Descriptions

Foliage Description

mid-green

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

Requires 4-8 hours of direct sunlight daily

• Full Sun: 6+ hours of direct sunlight

• Partial Shade: 3-6 hours of direct sunlight

• Full Shade: Less than 3 hours of direct sunlight

Soil Requirements

pH Range6.0 - 8.0(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

clay loam chalk

Drainagemoist

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Medium

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

2-3 years to fruiting

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Rubus caesius grows in sun or light shade on moist, fertile soils and tolerates clay, chalk, and seasonally damp ground. It establishes readily and needs no feeding, drawing moisture from the heavy soils that suit it. The rooting, trailing stems spread outward steadily, so the patch is contained by cutting back runners and digging out rooted tips. It withstands grazing and cutting and regrows from the base and rhizome. In gardens it is usually managed as a wild hedgerow plant rather than a fruit crop. Cut stems back in winter to limit spread.

Pruning

Cut trailing stems back in late winter and lift rooted tips to keep the plant in bounds. Take old fruited canes out at the base after the berries finish. Shear hedgerow stands to restrict their spread.

✓ Toxicity

Non-toxic