The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Learn to identify genus Rubus for some berry sweet rewards
Get to know the differences among popular berries.
Q: I brought these blackberry bushes from Oklahoma. Can you identify them? We’re trying to figure out where to plant them. We have a spot next to a sunny fence that is a candidate. They are very prickly with tiny thorns and lie on the ground. Becky Hunsucker, Calhoun
A: I think you have a dewberry Rubus trivialis. Dewberries have a distinct running habit and they rarely climb. On the other hand, blackberry Rubus fruticosus makes a mound 6 feet high if allowed to grow rampantly. We had a bank of blackberries behind our house when I was a kid that was so large we laid planks over it and would climb on them to reach the juiciest berries in the middle of the bush. If you have ever eaten at the International House of Pancakes, you have seen boysenberry syrup and wondered, “What is that?” Boysenberry is another member of the Rubus clan: a cross between the European raspberry Rubus idaeus, European blackberry Rubus fruticosus, American dewberry Rubus aboriginum and loganberry (Rubus x loganobaccus). Another familiar berry is the raspberry Rubus idaeus; it differs from blackberries by its distinct cone where the fruit attaches to the stem.
Q: I have a steep and barren clay slope in a fully shaded area below a patch of ivy. Can you suggest a ground cover or something that would fill in this space and add some color? Kathy Fields, email
A: I know I will get criticism for this advice, but I think you should use what you have: ivy. First, check the area for hidden stones and limbs and remove them. Use a lawn mower, set to its lowest height, making sure it doesn’t hit the ground, and mow a circle at the base of any trees encircled by ivy. Propagate more ivy by taking several 8-inch lengths of the vine. Strip off the lower leaves and use a sharp pencil to make several holes 4 inches deep and 10 inches apart in the bare clay. Stick an ivy cutting in each hole and firm the soil around it. Repeat until the entire steep bank is planted with ivy cuttings. They will root in place after a few weeks, but don’t expect any growth for at least a year. Fertilize lightly in the spring and fall. After a few years, the formerly barren bank will be covered with lush green ivy, and you will bear the responsibility for maintaining it. I envision a string trimmer in your future.
Email Walter at georgiagardener@yahoo. com. Listen to his occasional garden comments on“Green and Growing with Ashley Frasca” on Saturday mornings on 95.5 WSB. Visit his website, walterreeves.com, or join his Facebook page at bit.ly/georgiagardener for his latest tips.