Blackberry Bushes

About

All About Blackberry Bushes (Rubus spp.) Botanically classified as brambles, Blackberry bushes are a super-easy, super-healthy backyard fruit to grow. As a member of the Rose family, Blackberry bushes can take varied forms. They may be thorny or thornless, and they may be trailing or upright. The brambles are covered in white or pale-pink flower clusters, from which the berries develop. Blackberry plants are a versatile summer berry. But if picking from thorny wild blackberry bushes is too treacherous, the Thornless Blackberry Bush and Triple Crown Thornless Blackberry Bush won’t cause any pricked fingers. Plus, cultivated blackberry plants are often tastier and better-looking than their wild counterparts. Benefits of Blackberry Plants There are many benefits to planting cultivated blackberries in your yard. For one, most of these blackberry bushes don’t have any thorns , so you won’t have to worry about pricking yourself. Cultivated blackberries are also developed to have a tastier flavor than wild blackberries . For instance, the 3-in-1 Blackberry Bush was bred at the University of Arkansas to offer sweeter and firmer berries than wild blackberry plants. Wild blackberries can look unkempt in unruly brambles. With cultivated blackberry plants, you have more options for what you want your plants to look like. These include dwarf varieties you can grow in a container, larger options that can be trellised for a classic look, or even upright-growing bushes that you can plant in rows. Cultivated blackberry plants are also easy to grow and require minimal maintenance. They typically don’t attract many pests, and can resist drought. The obvious reason for growing Blackberry bushes is the sweet fruit they produce. But did you know that Blackberry flowers attract butterflies , like the Zebra Swallowtail? Although the flowers are not showy enough for Blackberries to be grown purely as ornamental plants, they’re attractive to many butterfly species. Uses for Blackberries Beca