Japanese Wineberry - Planting and Care Guide
Japanese Wineberry (Rubus phoenicolasius ) is a vigorous deciduous shrub grows to 2.5m or 3m tall with thick orange-red bristles stems that arech on stems. These stems show up well in winter, especially when sunlight strikes them with a splash of red. Like the raspberry, the canes grow one year and fruit the next. The emerald-green leaves are up to 18cm long with white felted undersides, and are composed of three, coarsely toothed, rounded, ovate or heart-shaped leaflets.
Early summer briings small, star-like, whitish-pink, self-fertile flowers made up of five long, triangular bracts. Small, glistening, conical, orange-red fruit follow in early August. These remain almost surrounded by the calyx until they are ripe. Eat them straight off the canes or cook them in the same way as raspberries.
Growing tips
Plant the Japanese wineberry in adequately drained but fertile soil, preferably in a sheltered place. You will get the best fruit against a sunny wall. Water well in summer. You can tie the canes along wires, cutting out those that have fruited and tying in the replacements. Because the stems are vigorous you can pinch them back in spring to encourage branching.
