Nova Raspberry vs Illini Hardy Blackberry - TreeTime.ca

Nova Raspberry vs Illini Hardy Blackberry

Rubus fruticosus Illini Hardy

Rubus x Nova

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Illini Hardy Blackberry
Nova Raspberry

The Illini Hardy Blackberry was developed in Illinois for northern growers, and produces a large, juicy blackberry with medium-sweet flavor. The berries are ready for harvest in midsummer, and go great in preserves.

The Illini Hardy Blackberry, or the Illinois Blackberry, 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.

Taste is the reason people buy the Nova Raspberry.

Nova canes have very few spines. As it has a firmer berry, it is commonly planted for commercial plantings where a harvester is used.

The Nova Raspberry gets its name from where it was bred, in Nova Scotia. It was created to survive and thrive in the varying climates of Canada.

The Nova Raspberry is a fast-growing floricane. This means that raspberries will not grow on canes the year they first grow. The mature canes they do grow on, however, produce more berries than primocane varieties.

Illini Hardy Blackberry Quick Facts

Nova Raspberry Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 2a
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Height: 1.8 m (6 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Suckering: high
Suckering: high
Maintenance: medium


Berries: black
Berries: red, slightly acidic
Firmness: firm
Flavor: medium
Harvest: July
Harvest: mid summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Other Names: illinois blackberry