I was clearing the corner of a friend's garden in Cornwall, and
the blackberry puzzled me, because it had perennial stems like
a rose. It wasn't any of the foreign blackberries that I recognise,
nor like most of the UK ones. Other than that, it was a very
ordinary blackberry, just like most of the other UK ones.

Does anyone recognise such a thing? My guess is that it could be
an extreme Rubus fruticosus (perhaps in section glandulosi), or a
hybrid with a foreign species.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

wrote in message ...

I was clearing the corner of a friend's garden in Cornwall, and
the blackberry puzzled me, because it had perennial stems like
a rose. It wasn't any of the foreign blackberries that I recognise,
nor like most of the UK ones. Other than that, it was a very
ordinary blackberry, just like most of the other UK ones.

Does anyone recognise such a thing? My guess is that it could be
an extreme Rubus fruticosus (perhaps in section glandulosi), or a
hybrid with a foreign species.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

I have always assumed that they just behaved liked that down here so I will
be interested in any informed responses, several of the ones in my hedgerow
send up very tall woody stems that last for 5 years or so and behave like a
rambling rose, but I do grow one of the American thorn less varieties in the
fruit cage so a hybrid is more than possible. just wish they had inherited
the thorn less habit as well!


--
Charlie, Gardening in Cornwall
Holders of National Collections of Clematis viticella
and Lapageria rosea cvs
http://www.roselandhouse.co.uk

In article ,
Charlie Pridham wrote:

I was clearing the corner of a friend's garden in Cornwall, and
the blackberry puzzled me, because it had perennial stems like
a rose. It wasn't any of the foreign blackberries that I recognise,
nor like most of the UK ones. Other than that, it was a very
ordinary blackberry, just like most of the other UK ones.

Does anyone recognise such a thing? My guess is that it could be
an extreme Rubus fruticosus (perhaps in section glandulosi), or a
hybrid with a foreign species.

I have always assumed that they just behaved liked that down here so I will
be interested in any informed responses, several of the ones in my hedgerow
send up very tall woody stems that last for 5 years or so and behave like a
rambling rose, but I do grow one of the American thorn less varieties in the
fruit cage so a hybrid is more than possible. just wish they had inherited
the thorn less habit as well!

That's what I encountered. It's a bit odd, because CTW implies that
3-4' is about the limit of 'free' height, and two identical hybrids
is pushing plausibility a bit far. I suppose that it could have
been one that was popular for fruit 60+ years ago, and escaped.
Himalayan Giant certainly has in some places, but it wasn't that.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 11/10/2012 10:13, wrote:
In article ,
Charlie Pridham wrote:

I was clearing the corner of a friend's garden in Cornwall, and
the blackberry puzzled me, because it had perennial stems like
a rose. It wasn't any of the foreign blackberries that I recognise,
nor like most of the UK ones. Other than that, it was a very
ordinary blackberry, just like most of the other UK ones.

Does anyone recognise such a thing? My guess is that it could be
an extreme Rubus fruticosus (perhaps in section glandulosi), or a
hybrid with a foreign species.

I have always assumed that they just behaved liked that down here so I will
be interested in any informed responses, several of the ones in my hedgerow
send up very tall woody stems that last for 5 years or so and behave like a
rambling rose, but I do grow one of the American thorn less varieties in the
fruit cage so a hybrid is more than possible. just wish they had inherited
the thorn less habit as well!

That's what I encountered. It's a bit odd, because CTW implies that
3-4' is about the limit of 'free' height, and two identical hybrids
is pushing plausibility a bit far. I suppose that it could have
been one that was popular for fruit 60+ years ago, and escaped.
Himalayan Giant certainly has in some places, but it wasn't that.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.


I've never known black berry shoots die off after just one year, I wish
they would

In article ,
David Hill wrote:

I've never known black berry shoots die off after just one year, I wish
they would

Only the weak ones do. The normal growth habit is to flower on
shoots off the old stems, which then die or become very feeble,
and their place is taken by new stems that shoot from the base.
Just like raspberries, wineberries, loganberries etc.

Some of the introduced ones have longer-lived stems, but their
vigour decreases after the second year, and that's not rare in
the other biennial-stem Rubi. But this was different - as Charlie
says, it was very like a rambling rose.

If you have ones that behave like that, where are you? I did know,
but have forgotten.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 11/10/2012 11:34, wrote:
In article ,
David Hill wrote:

I've never known black berry shoots die off after just one year, I wish
they would

Only the weak ones do. The normal growth habit is to flower on
shoots off the old stems, which then die or become very feeble,
and their place is taken by new stems that shoot from the base.
Just like raspberries, wineberries, loganberries etc.

Some of the introduced ones have longer-lived stems, but their
vigour decreases after the second year, and that's not rare in
the other biennial-stem Rubi. But this was different - as Charlie
says, it was very like a rambling rose.

If you have ones that behave like that, where are you? I did know,
but have forgotten.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.


When we grew blackberries as a crop we would always cut out the old
stems after fruiting and tie in the new growth as the new stems gave the
best crop, but here; in South Wales; I find that most blackberry stems
last for 3 or 4 years if not removed, they are wild and I'm not to happy
either,
Found this interesting Blackberry a few years ago,
http://s240.photobucket.com/albums/f...berryleafx.jpg
A good medium sized fruit, but a stem grew in an unused polly tunnel and
the flavour was great, you wouldn't have known it was a blackberry.
David @ the wet end of Swansea Bay

In article ,
David Hill wrote:

When we grew blackberries as a crop we would always cut out the old
stems after fruiting and tie in the new growth as the new stems gave the
best crop, but here; in South Wales; I find that most blackberry stems
last for 3 or 4 years if not removed, they are wild and I'm not to happy
either,

Interesting. It could be a variant that is widespread in the south
west and rare elsewhere. Several of the variants are local.

Found this interesting Blackberry a few years ago,
http://s240.photobucket.com/albums/f...berryleafx.jpg
A good medium sized fruit, but a stem grew in an unused polly tunnel and
the flavour was great, you wouldn't have known it was a blackberry.

It might be Rubus laciniatus or a hybrid of it. There is also a
R. fruticosus var. laciniata.

Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

Found this interesting Blackberry a few years ago,
http://s240.photobucket.com/albums/f...berryleafx.jpg
A good medium sized fruit, but a stem grew in an unused polly tunnel and
the flavour was great, you wouldn't have known it was a blackberry.

It might be Rubus laciniatus or a hybrid of it. There is also a
R. fruticosus var. laciniata.

Regards,
Nick Maclaren.


Now if I could just get it to be thorn free and variegated
................ Wow!