Highbush Cranberry vs Wild Red Raspberry - TreeTime.ca

Highbush Cranberry vs Wild Red Raspberry

Rubus idaeus

Viburnum opulus var. americanum (trilobum)

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

Wild Red Raspberry
Highbush Cranberry

The Wild Red Raspberry produces small, tart, red berries. They are delicious when eaten fresh, but also add flavor to preserves or desserts. They are highly suckering and can be high yielding.

The Wild Red Raspberry is also otherwise known as the American Red Raspberry, European Red Raspberry, Grayleaf Raspberry, or the Common Red Raspberry.

The Wild Red Raspberry are floricanes, primarily fruiting on second year canes. Each spring cut back all two-year old canes, leaving only the last year’s growth. This is a self-pollinating variety, so it doesn’t require a second plant nearby to set fruit.

Highbush Cranberry produces attractive white flowers in late June and bears edible fruit that matures to a bright red colour in the late summer.

This shrub, native to much of Canada, is fast growing, and its fruit can be eaten raw or cooked into a sauce.

Wild Red Raspberry Quick Facts

Highbush Cranberry Quick Facts

Zone: 1a
Zone: 2a
Height: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Height: 4 m (13 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Spread: 2.7 m (9 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: medium
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Suckering: high
Suckering: none
Maintenance: medium


Flowers: white
Flowers: white clusters
Fruit: small, tart
Berries: edible red berries
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


In row spacing: 0.6 m (2.0 ft)
Between row spacing: 5 m (16 ft)
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, YT, NT, NU, PE
Native to: AB, BC, SK, MB, ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, PE
Other Names: american red raspberry, common red raspberry, european red raspberry, grayleaf red raspberry, red raspberry
Other Names: american cranberrybush, american cranberrybush viburnum, high bush cranberry, kalyna