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Rubus vestitus

vested blackberry

Rosaceae Western and central Europe

Attracts Pollinators Attracts Butterflies

SunFull Sun – Part Shade

WaterMedium

HardinessZones 5–8

Overview

Rubus vestitus is a scrambling, arching shrub of the blackberry group, with biennial canes that root at the tips to form new plants. The canes are clothed in dense, soft, spreading hairs (the name vestitus means clothed) and armed with broad-based, slightly curved prickles, and reach 3-8 feet (0.9-2.4 m) long. The leaves usually have five rounded leaflets, hairy and green above and grey- to white-felted beneath. Pink to deep rose-pink flowers about 0.8-1.2 inches (2-3 cm) across open in flat clusters from June to August. The black, shining blackberries ripen from late summer into autumn. It grows in hedgerows, wood margins, scrub, and rough ground on neutral to slightly acid soils. Like other brambles, its tip-rooting canes and prickles let it form dense, hard-to-clear thickets.

Native Range

Native to western and central Europe, where it is one of many closely related microspecies in the blackberry aggregate, Rubus fruticosus agg. It grows in hedgerows, woodland edges, and scrub, and is naturalised in parts of North America and elsewhere.

Suggested Uses

Grown or tolerated in wildlife hedges, boundary thickets, and rough corners, where its flowers and blackberries feed insects, birds, and mammals. The fruit is edible, used like other blackberries. Its dense, prickly growth forms a stock- and intruder-resistant barrier.

How to Identify

Arching blackberry canes 3-8 feet (0.9-2.4 m) long, densely covered in soft spreading hairs and broad-based prickles, mark this microspecies. The leaves usually have five rounded leaflets that are grey- to white-felted beneath, and the flowers are pink to deep rose-pink, deeper than the white or pale pink of many brambles. Its dense cane hairs and rich pink flowers help place it within the difficult blackberry group, though microspecies are hard to tell apart with certainty.

Appearance

Size & Dimensions

Height3' - 8'

Width/Spread3' - 10'

Colors

Flower Colors

pink

Foliage Colors

green

white

Bloom Information

Bloom Period

~8 weeks

Summer

Pink to deep rose-pink flowers open in flat clusters from June to August. They are visited by bees, hoverflies, and butterflies, and are followed by black, shining blackberries that ripen from August into autumn.

Detailed Descriptions

Flower Description

Pink to rose-pink

Foliage Description

Green above, grey-white beneath

Growing Conditions

Sun Requirements

SunFull Sun SunPartial Shade

Requires 6-12 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 Range5.5 - 7.5(Neutral)

357912

Soil Types

loam clay sand

Drainagewell drained

Water & Climate

Water Needs

Medium

Frost Tolerance

hardy

Time to Maturity

2-3 years

Care & Maintenance

Care Guide

Rubus vestitus grows in full sun to part shade on most fertile, moist, free-draining soils at a soil pH of about 5.5-7.5. It tolerates a range of soils and some exposure, and fruits more heavily in sun. The biennial canes grow one year, flower and fruit the next, then die back as new canes replace them. Tip-rooting canes spread the plant, so it can form wide thickets if left unchecked. Hardy to about USDA zone 5, it withstands hard frost. It needs no feeding on average ground and can be cut hard to limit spread.

Pruning

Canes that have fruited can be cut out at the base in late autumn or winter, leaving the current season's canes to fruit the next year. Cutting back tip-rooting cane ends limits the spread of new plants. Thinning crowded canes improves air flow and access to the fruit.