Northern Gooseberry vs Balsors Blackberry - TreeTime.ca

Northern Gooseberry vs Balsors Blackberry

Ribes oxyacanthoides

Rubus fruticosus Balsors

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON

Northern Gooseberry
Balsors Blackberry

Northern Gooseberry is a small, ornamental quality native shrub with prickly stems. You can plant it anywhere you'd plant Prickly Rose or Common Wild Rose, such as your yard.

Most people find Northern Gooseberry berries a bit tart for significant fresh eating but they are good for baking, wine or jam.

The Balsors Blackberry is a cold-hardy variety that produces very large, sweet and juicy blackberries late in the summer. They are great for baking and fresh eating.

Balsors 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.

Northern Gooseberry Quick Facts

Balsors Blackberry Quick Facts

Zone: 1a
Zone: 4a
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Height: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Moisture: normal, wet
Moisture: normal
Light: any
Light: full sun
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no
Berries: purple or purplish black
Berries: black
Fruit size: large
Firmness: soft
Flavor: sweet
Harvest: August
Bark: has thorns
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: short
Maintenance: medium
Suckering: none
Suckering: low




Other Names: canada gooseberry, canadian gooseberry
Other Names: balsors hardy blackberry, illinois blackberry