black raspberry
Rubus occidentalis
USDA zones4 to 8
SunHandles full sun to full shade
WaterHandles dry to moist soil
Size3 to 6 feet tall4 to 8 feet wide
- Growth rate
- Rapid
- Habit
- Subshrub
- Bloom season
- Spring, summer, autumn
- Bloom color
- White
- Foliage color
- Green
- Soil types
- Sand, loam
- Soil pH
- Acid, neutral
Garden uses
Attracts
Notes
Black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis) is a fruit for food gardens, pollinator gardens, and woodland. It is hardy to USDA zone 4, or down to -30°F (-34°C). This plant likes full sun to full shade and dry to moist, sandy or loamy soil. Deer usually look elsewhere for a meal. The arching canes have prickles and form broad colonies, so give it room. White flowers give way to red berries that ripen to black, and songbirds and bees visit them.
Pairs well with Virginia strawberry, Bowman's root, and Wood lily.
Native range
AL, AR, CO, CT, and 35 more places. See all 39
AL, AR, CO, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV; NB, ON, PE, and QC.