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Creeping Oregon Grape vs Illini Hardy Blackberry
Mahonia repens
Rubus fruticosus Illini Hardy
ONLY AVAILABLE BY CONTRACT GROW
NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON
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.
Note: This species is currently unavailable. Grow your own using Creeping Oregon Grape 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.