Rubus fruticosus ‘Navaho’

An undemanding shrub of erect, long, thornless shoots, yielding tasty fruit. Perfect for growing in house gardens.

WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE: Fruit large (3.5˗5 g), black, edible, tasty, ripen in August on previous-year shoots. Flowers white, 3 cm across, appear in June. Leaves dark green, compound.

HOW IT GROWS: Shoots erect, thornless, 1.2-1.5 cm long, the shrub’s 0.9-1.2 m wide. Slow growing. Develops root sprouts. The plant can have a form of a shrub with overhanging shoots or a vine if provided a necessary support.

WHERE TO PLANT: Yields fruit most successfully in sunny sites but copes well also in semi-shade. Tolerant, grows both in sandy and in heavier soil, however, requires well-drained, moist ground.  Relatively hardy (Zone 6˗8).

HOW TO PLANT AND MAINTAIN: Before planting immerse the plant container in water for 10-30 min. Place the plant in a 40 x 40 x 40 cm hole covered at the bottom with a 10 cm layer of well-rotten manure or compost, 0.5-1 cm deeper than it was before. Fill in the hole with fertile soil. In spring remove dead, previous-year shoots as well as those that yielded fruit. Cover for winter protection.

HOW TO APPLY: Recommended for amateur cultivation in house gardens. The fruit can be eaten raw or used to make preservatives.

ORIGIN: Cultivar raised in The University of Arkansas, USA.