Thimbleberry vs Somerset Grape - TreeTime.ca

Thimbleberry vs Somerset Grape

Rubus parviflorus

Vitis Somerset

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

Thimbleberry
Somerset Grape

Thimbleberry is an ornamental shrub with large, green maple-like-leaves. Flowers are attractive, fragrant, and turn into red-raspberry-like berries. The berries are good for jams, cakes, breads, muffins etc. If you remove the berry, the core resembles a thimble, giving this shrub its namesake.

The Somerset Grape is a cold-hardy variety that is sweet, with a hint of a strawberry taste and tender skin, making them excellent for fresh eating. The grapes grow throughout the summer and go from a light pink and deepen in color as they ripen. The grapes will be at their peak sweetness in mid to late September, making that the best time for harvest.

The Somerset Grape is considered a seedless variety. Occasionally the fruit will contain seeds, but they are soft and barely noticeable. The grapes themselves are a bit smaller than the average size you’d find in the grocery store, however the cluster is compact and quite big. This vine is best supported with a trellis.

Note: We do not ship grape vines to BC due to regulatory restrictions from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

Thimbleberry Quick Facts

Somerset Grape Quick Facts

Zone: 4a
Zone: 3a
Height: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Height: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: full sun
Moisture: any
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Suckering: none
Suckering: none
Maintenance: high


Foliage: Soft leaves up to 8 inches across
Fall colour: gold
Flowers: white, showy
Fruit: pink to red, seedless
Berries: edible, red, similar to raspberries
Fruit size: 2.0g
Harvest: early to mid September
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, ON
Other Names: thimbleberry, western thimbleberry