Chalky / Alkaline / Clay / Heavy / Moist / Well Drained / Light / Sandy
Unlike their wild relatives, cultivated blackberries, Rubus fruticosus, are more productive, less thorny and less likely to grow out of control. They can be trained to ramble over fences, arches and pergolas, and there are also more compact forms, which can be grown in containers.
For best results and the sweetest berries, grow blackberries in full sun in rich, well-drained soil. Prune annually and top-dress the soil with a mulch of well-rotted horse manure or garden compost, every autumn.
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Rubus and wildlife
Rubus is known for attracting bees, beneficial insects, birds, butterflies/moths and other pollinators. It is a caterpillar food plant, has nectar/pollen rich flowers, has seeds for birds and makes a good wildlife hedge.
