Creeping Oregon Grape vs Chester Thornless Blackberry - TreeTime.ca

Creeping Oregon Grape vs Chester Thornless Blackberry

Rubus fruticosa Chester (Thornless)

Mahonia repens

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2026)

CUSTOM GROW

Chester Thornless Blackberry
Creeping Oregon Grape

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.

Creeping Oregon Grape is an excellent ground cover plant with attractive, dark green, holly-like leaves. It maintains its leaves throughout winter, which turn mauve, rose, and rust-colored. Clusters of bright, yellow flowers develop into dark, blue-purple edible berries ideal for juice or wine.

Chester Thornless Blackberry Quick Facts

Creeping Oregon Grape Quick Facts

Zone: 3b
Zone: 5a
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Spread: 3 m (10 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: slow
Life span: short
Life span: long
Suckering: high
Suckering: medium
Maintenance: high
Maintenance: medium


Fall colour: purple and bronze
Flowers: pink
Flowers: yellow
Fruit: large blue/purple
Berries: heart shaped black
Firmness: firm
Harvest: July
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC
Other Names: chester blackberry, hardy blackberry
Other Names: ash barberry, creeping barberry, creeping holly grape, creeping mahonia, creeping oregon-grape, creeping western barberry, holly grape, mountain holly, oregon barberry