Black Hawthorn vs Chester Thornless Blackberry - TreeTime.ca

Black Hawthorn vs Chester Thornless Blackberry

Crataegus douglasii

Rubus fruticosa Chester (Thornless)

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Black Hawthorn
Chester Thornless Blackberry

Black Hawthorn is a versatile plant that is native to wetlands and other areas with moist soils, but can also tolerate dry soils. This plant can be grown as a short shrub, or a tree reaching 30 feet tall.

Black Hawthorn is valued for erosion control and attracting pollinators. It also makes an attractive flowering ornamental that can be planted as a specimen or pruned as a hedge. It is commonly used in shelterbelts.

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.

Black Hawthorn Quick Facts

Chester Thornless Blackberry Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 3b
Height: 8 m (25 ft)
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 5 m (15 ft)
Spread: 3 m (10 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: full sun
Moisture: any
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Suckering: medium
Suckering: high


Foliage: contains thorns
Fall colour: yellow to red
Bark: brown to gray
Flowers: white
Flowers: pink
Berries: purplish-black pomes
Berries: heart shaped black
Firmness: firm
Harvest: July
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Other Names: crataegus columbiana, douglas hawthorn, douglas' thornapple
Other Names: chester blackberry, hardy blackberry