[Kevm]

I have some raspberries growing on the side of the lane on a steep bank and would like to stick some more in.
Fancy trying some loganberries or tayberries or anything else that will grow.
They are out in the wild on their own and have to look after them selves so don't suggest anything that can't survive a windy cold Scottish hill with zero maintenance, though I may knock the nettles down a bit if possible.
Anything else I could stick in - but needs to be soon.

[ellied]

My rasps have spread themselves and I'm hacking out lines each year to get to the fruit so I wouldn't spend a lot of money adding to yours til you see them sucker and spread.

I have a bed for other berries including a domestic blackberry, tay, logans, they all do fine in a Scottish winter but honestly the blackberry is a pain and drowns the logan and tay given half a chance so I'd stick with one or t'other. 

Also I have white red and blackcurrants which might be worth considering if you like them.  If you can put in a blueberry or two you'll need to keep the soil supplied but it's origin is in old blaeberries that cope fine in Scottish winters.

[Kevm]

Thanks, the existing rasps are native and I chop them back when they start hanging out over the drive.
had a look in the local garden centre yesterday and they have allsorts so will probably get a couple of logans and maybe some blueberries too.
Did consider blackberries but don't want them crawling all over and drowning everything else out.
Also looked at gooseberies but they tend to sprawl out a bit so probably not enough room.
Kev

[Penninehillbilly]

Have another look at gooseberries, it's all in the pruning, but worth it, known for hardiness so ideal for your situation.
Is it possible to put posts a nd wire up? Idea is to grow your blackberries tayberries etc up the post, along the top wire, the following year this growth is brought down along lower wires while new growth is taken to the top wire ready to repeat process next year/winter. Or train all growth to one side of a central post, the next year's growth is trained the other side while old growth is cut out.
Blackcurrant? American way is to cut each bush down to ground every 3 years. Sounds easy.
Our problem is birds, blackbirds take everything, fruit cage was flattened by the snow a few years ago.

[macgro7]

I wanted to plant some sea buckthorn, honey berries and saskatoon berries.
I'm not in Scotland though. Those species grow well in Siberia and canada ( I.e. much much colder winter's but also hot and sunny summers, not sire how well they would do in wet Scottish summers.

[Clarebelle]

I have two honey berries here in Orkney. They are about two years old and have survived which is the first hurdle here! I have had a handful of berries from them in that time so they haven't done that great. However, pollination is sometimes an issue here so they might do better in other parts of Scotland.

[Kevm]

Gooseberries are out as they take up too much space and require maintenance, definately loganberries, blueberries look interesting as long as they grow tall enough to get out of the weeds.
Like the sound of honeyberries and if they can survive in Orkney....
I think though that all i will be doing is feeding the birds but you got to try.

[ellied]

Just to add I bought a cranberry and a gojiberry at a local garden centre a week ago, all living in pots outside in Fife so I reckoned they'd cope in my garden for a wee bit of a change.  I do have 2 gooseberry varieties, both planted in the orchard under apple trees and filling gaps nicely but they will get pruned 'well' back once settled..

[Fleecewife]

I wanted to plant some sea buckthorn, honey berries and saskatoon berries.
I'm not in Scotland though. Those species grow well in Siberia and canada ( I.e. much much colder winter's but also hot and sunny summers, not sire how well they would do in wet Scottish summers.

Sea buckthorn grows along the south coast of the Firth of Forth and does very well.  Picking the berries is downright agony!   It also grows well enough in Norfolk.

[Fleecewife]

We planted one of the hybrid berries (gooseberryXblackcurrant perhaps) - the fruit certainly looked that way and it was a total thug.  In the end we had to hack it out with mattocks.  Don't get that one    (I thought it was tayberry but perhaps not)


For blueberries, they are quite expensive and really don't do well left to fend for themselves (I know, I tried it).  Better to keep your blueberries in giant tubs of ericaceous compost and nurture them.  You can buy the wild blaeberry which should be fine wild, but only if you have really acid soil.


Would there be room to stick in some crab apples?  They are cheap if you buy them bareroot in bulk from somewhere like Buckinghams.  They grow upwards and are not bothered by weeds, but make a good base for a hedgerow jelly or wine.  Mirabels again are extremely tough and can be bought from the same place for not very much.  They grow quickly enough upwards to get away from the weeds, and respond fine to brashing to keep the crown high.


For brambles, there are American primocane varieties which grow on upright canes, are thornless and don't spread into thickets.  Their growth is pretty much like rasps.

[Lesley Silvester]

We planted one of the hybrid berries (gooseberryXblackcurrant perhaps) - the fruit certainly looked that way and it was a total thug.  In the end we had to hack it out with mattocks.  Don't get that one    (I thought it was tayberry but perhaps not)

Sounds like a jostaberry. I have one in my garden that I was given when it outgrew its space on someone's allotment. I've had loads of berries from it over the years and they're lovely.I also leave as many as I pick for the birds who loved them. It does need cutting back regularly but the fruit grows on the new growth and the old.

[Fleecewife]

Could be a Jostaberry MGM.  Mine never had enough fruit to make it worth growing and was fiercely thorny, with 8' long canes which self rooted everywhere.

[Lesley Silvester]

Maybe it wasn't then. Mind doesn't have thorns and doesn't self-root. Could it be 'black velvet' or Worcester berries, both of which fit your description? http://www.cooltemperate.co.uk/gooseberries-hybrid-berries

[Penninehillbilly]

I have a Worcesterberry, can't say it's self rooting, but wandering shoots are cut back.
It is thornyfast growing, smaller fruit than g'berry .
Jostaberry doesn't have thorns. But i yet to have fruit on mine. Poor thing is still in pot while waiting for fruit cage rebuild.

[Fleecewife]

Worcester berry!!!  Hateful thing     Thanks MGM