In article ,
says...

In article ,
Charlie Pridham writes:
|
| | What about loganberries? Do they need any special treatment, I was
| | considering them as the same as raspberries.
|
| Blackberries are a better analogue - the pruning and thinning are
| slightly different from raspberries. Otherwise, yes.
|
| Thanks Nick, they are replacing blackberries. I gave up trying to
| control a Bedford Giant and Himalayan wotsit as it was easier and just
| as good to visit the local pick your own farm. This was I get my path
| back
|
| They are a menace! We have Oregon thornless which crops hugely despite
| our hard pruning it every year, I know you are not supposed to but it is
| the only way of getting in the fruit cage!

As you may remember, I get very ****ed off with the gardening books
that describe pruning assuming that you have a multi-acre garden, and
ignore problems such as the one you mention. What I often need to
know is how I can prune something without harming it, not how I should
prune it in some alternative universe. I had to invent the trick of
treating Clematis alpina as herbaceous from scratch - none of the books
even had a hint!

I recommend the use of a machete for pruning the more vigorous Rubus
species and varieties.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Funnily enough if you speak to any Clematis nut if they grow C. alpina
they all do as you do and cut them back each May but when they write
their books it seldom gets a mention and they remain firmly in the "No
Prune" category. Perhaps you should have a go at a spot of writing!

Another area in books I get vexed about is when describing a plant they
seldom tell you what it does NOT look like or what feature distinguishes
it from other species in the genus, a lot of books read like a
nurserymans catalogue.
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea