Canadian Buffaloberry vs Chester Thornless Blackberry - TreeTime.ca

Canadian Buffaloberry vs Chester Thornless Blackberry

Rubus fruticosa Chester (Thornless)

Shepherdia canadensis

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

Chester Thornless Blackberry
Canadian Buffaloberry

Chester Thornless Blackberry is a self-pollinating fruit-bearing shrub. In mid-summer, the Chester Thornless Blackberry produces large, sweet-tasting, heart-shaped blackberries that are perfect for fresh eating. It is a semi-erect blackberry plant that requires little support from a trellis to keep its fruit off the ground. Don't forget to protect your berries. The birds love this shrub almost as much as you will.

Chester Thornless Blackberries are floricanes, primarily fruiting on second year canes. Each spring cut back all two-year old canes, leaving only the last year’s growth.

Canadian Buffalo Berry is a native deciduous shrub found throughout North America. This hardy, medium-sized shrub will tolerate poor soil conditions and produces attractive, edible–though very bitter–red fruit.

Chester Thornless Blackberry Quick Facts

Canadian Buffaloberry Quick Facts

Zone: 3b
Zone: 1a
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Height: 3 m (10 ft)
Spread: 3 m (10 ft)
Spread: 1.8 m (6 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Suckering: high
Suckering: none


Foliage: dark green with silver undersides
Flowers: pink
Flowers: tiny, red
Berries: heart shaped black
Berries: red bitter berries (edible)
Firmness: firm
Harvest: July
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Other Names: chester blackberry, hardy blackberry
Other Names: canada buffalo berry, canada buffaloberry, canadian buffaloberry, foam berry, foamberry, russet buffaloberry, soap berry, soapberry, soopolallie