Thimbleberry vs Black Raspberry - TreeTime.ca

Thimbleberry vs Black Raspberry

Rubus parviflorus

Rubus occidentalis

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Thimbleberry
Black Raspberry

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 Black Raspberry is a multi-stemmed shrub that produces edible red berries that deepen to black as they mature. The berries are flavorful and are great for fresh eating and preserves. Black Raspberry shrubs bloom in late spring with white, rose-like flowers and attract many pollinators such as bees and butterflies.

Black Raspberries are floricanes primarily fruiting on second year canes. Each spring cut back all two-year old canes, leaving only the last year’s growth.

Thimbleberry Quick Facts

Black Raspberry Quick Facts

Lowest Price: $15.99
Zone: 4a
Zone: 3a
Height: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Height: 1.8 m (6 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Spread: 1.8 m (6 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: any
Moisture: any
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: medium
Life span: short
Suckering: none
Suckering: high
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: Soft leaves up to 8 inches across
Fall colour: gold
Flowers: white, showy
Berries: edible, red, similar to raspberries
Berries: red to black
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC, ON
Native to: ON, QC, NB
Other Names: thimbleberry, western thimbleberry
Other Names: bears eye blackberry, black cap, scotch cap