Oregon Grape vs Festival Raspberry

Oregon Grape is an evergreen shrub native to North America, found along the Pacific coast. In spring, the bright golden-yellow flowers appear in clusters above the leaves. These flowers eventually give way to edible blue berries in late summer. While not a true grape, the berries appear grape-like due to their colouring and clustered growth. They can be eaten fresh, but the sour taste and high amounts of natural pectin make them well suited for preserves.

The Oregon Grape has leaves that are glossy, leathery, and spiny-edged. This feature gives it its alternate name of Holly-leaved Barberry. When the leaves emerge in the spring they are a bronze-red colour. In the summer they transition to green, followed by bright red to deep burgundy in the fall. Leaves are retained throughout the winter and colder temperatures cause the leaves to turn purplish bronze, providing year round interest to the landscape.

The Festival Raspberry is a large, bright-red and sweet berry. These firm berries are great for fresh eating and they typically fruit both in the summer and fall.

The Festival Raspberry is a thornless primocane variety, meaning that it produces fruit on first years' growth. Prune stalks each winter or early spring to get higher fruit yields and easier harvesting.

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