Balloon berry (Rubus illecebrosus)
Balloon berry (Rubus illecebrosus)
The balloon berry, or strawberry-raspberry as it is often called and occasionally considered to be, is from Japan.
Short and spiny, the balloon berry
is a hardy herbacious perennial member of the raspberry family. Tough and about 20 - 30 cm high, it is more robust than the arctic bramble so would make an effective groundcover, easy to grow in any soil that’s not too wet and plenty of sun, it can even be a little invasive, spreading underground like mini raspberries.
With large white flowers in the spring, there is nothing mini about the fruit which are eyebrow raisingly large, red and sweet/acid.