Wild blackberries can be collected on summer walks in forest clearings and on embankments without any gardening effort. Nowadays, there are a number of cultivars to choose from when planting blackberries in the garden.
Which blackberry varieties are recommended for the garden?
Recommended blackberry varieties for the garden are Theodor Reimers, Navaho, Black Satin, Loch Ness, Jumbo and Lubera Kiowa. For easier harvesting, use thornless varieties such as Theodor Reimers, which can compete in taste with wild blackberries.
Wild blackberries and their dangers in the garden
Wild blackberries can also be planted relatively easily in your own garden using cuttings. However, you should be aware of the danger this type of blackberry can pose to your garden idyll. Wild blackberries multiply relatively quickly in a suitable location without any intervention. Once the blackberry roots have spread through the ground, they are no longer easy to get rid of. The decision to plant wild blackberry plants on a fallow area or on an embankment should be carefully considered, as this involves a certain amount of maintenance in the garden for regular pruning.
Blackberry cultivars
There are also certain differences among the cultivated varieties of blackberries with their much larger fruits than their wild relatives. There are also blackberries with red fruits, as well as the so-called Tayberry as a reddish-fruited cross between raspberry and blackberry. While some blackberry cultivars defend their fruits with sharp thorns, there are now also tasty varieties without thorns. When planting blackberries, the most important thing is whether it is an upright growing variety or a long, tendril-forming blackberry variety. The latter can usually only be brought into shape in a controlled manner using a special trellis.
Good varieties for growing in the garden
Specialist retailers now have a whole range of blackberry varieties available whose fruits are not only large and well-shaped, but also taste great. The most common varieties include:
- Theodor Reimers
- Navaho
- Black Satin
Loch Ness
The Jumbo blackberry produces particularly impressive fruit sizes. A very rich yield of large fruits can also be achieved with the modern cultivar Lubera Kiowa.
Tips & Tricks
Thornless blackberry varieties, apart from Theodor Reimer's first thornless variety, now deliver taste results that can compete with wild blackberries. They also make harvesting much easier compared to the annoying injuries that occur when harvesting wild blackberries.
