Black Hawthorn vs Illini Hardy Blackberry - TreeTime.ca

Black Hawthorn vs Illini Hardy Blackberry

Crataegus douglasii

Rubus fruticosus Illini Hardy

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Black Hawthorn
Illini Hardy 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.

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.

Black Hawthorn Quick Facts

Illini Hardy Blackberry Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 3a
Height: 8 m (25 ft)
Height: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 5 m (15 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: any
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: medium
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Suckering: medium
Suckering: high
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: contains thorns
Fall colour: yellow to red
Bark: brown to gray
Flowers: white
Berries: purplish-black pomes
Berries: black
Flavor: medium
Harvest: July
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Other Names: crataegus columbiana, douglas hawthorn, douglas' thornapple
Other Names: illinois blackberry