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Gray Dogwood vs Illini Hardy Blackberry
Cornus racemosa
Rubus fruticosus Illini Hardy
ONLY AVAILABLE BY CONTRACT GROW
NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON
Gray dogwood is a thicket-forming, deciduous shrub with greenish-white blossoms in open, terminal clusters. Young twigs are red and the fruit pedicels remain conspicuously red into late fall and early winter.
Fruit itself is a white, 1/4 in. drupe that usually does not remain on the shrub for long.
Great for naturalizing wild areas, this shrub attracts birds and other wildlife.
Note: This species is currently unavailable. Grow your own using Gray Dogwood seeds at SeedTime.ca.
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.