Thimbleberry (Rubus odoratus and parviflorus)
Thimbleberry (Rubus odoratus
and parviflorus)
Young plants about 15 cm high, grown in 7 cm pots.
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Large Shrubs
R. odoratus Sold out
£6.50
R. parviflorus Sold out
£6.50
There are two members of the Rubus family called thimbleberries.
Both thimbleberries
are very similar, being decorative, prickle free with large flowers and downy leaves. They do well in sun or shade, any soil that will suit raspberries and seldom need much in the way of support, though the thick canes can get up to 2 m in time.
The pink thimbleberry
(R. odoratus) is generally a smaller plant, it differs from the white (R. parviflorus) in two other ways;
Tolerating more in the way of shade it makes a good understory shrub, and it flowers and fruits over a longer period, right through the late summer and into the autumn unlike the white which flowers only in early summer.
The velvety fruit might be a bit fiddly to pick as when fully ripe they tend to disintegrate, but are juicy, sweet and tasty. If you manage to pick enough of them they can be used in any way a raspberry can or just slurped out of hand, but you will have to beat the birds.
The white thimbleberry
is a larger, generally more vigorous plant than the pink and is sometimes considered invasive.