Red River Raspberry vs Bilberry - TreeTime.ca

Red River Raspberry vs Bilberry

Rubus x Red River

Vaccinium myrtillus

CUSTOM GROW

Red River Raspberry
Bilberry

Red River Raspberry is a cold hardy and adaptable raspberry. Its berries are smaller than typical raspberries and ripen from August until frost. The berries are firm, ruby red and excellent for eating right from the bush.

Red River Raspberry is a primocane-fruiting variety, meaning it produces fruit on first-year canes (the current season’s growth). They are also referred to as ever-bearing or fall-bearing. Cut stalks down each winter or early spring to get higher fruit yields.

Raspberries are self-fertile, meaning they do not require cross-pollination from another variety to produce fruit.

Bilberry is a native perennial shrub valued for its small, blue-black berries that ripen in mid to late summer. The berries resemble blueberries but have a richer, more tart, and intense flavor. They have long been used for fresh eating, baking, and preserves, while also providing food for birds and mammals. In spring, its delicate pinkish flowers attract bees and other pollinators.

Growing low to the ground, Bilberry forms spreading colonies that create dense understory cover. This growth habit provides food and shelter for wildlife, and its foliage adds seasonal interest by turning red to purple in autumn. With its adaptability and ecological benefits, Bilberry is well-suited for naturalization, ecological restoration, and pollinator gardens.

Red River Raspberry Quick Facts

Bilberry Quick Facts

Lowest Price: $6.29 - SAVE UP TO 30%
Zone: 3a
Zone: 3a
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Spread: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 0.5 m (1.5 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: slow
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Growth form: low growing, clump-forming
Spreading: rhizomes - medium, seeds - medium
Suckering: high


Toxicity: leaves may be unsafe in high doses
Flowers: white or pink, bell-shaped
Bloom time: summer
Berries: round bluish-purple berries, edible
Flavor: sweet
Harvest: late summer to early fall
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: AB, BC
Other Names: common bilberry, dwarf bilberry, low bilberry, myrtille, myrtle blueberry, myrtle whortleberry, whortleberry