Chester Thornless Blackberry vs Northern Bayberry - TreeTime.ca

Chester Thornless Blackberry vs Northern Bayberry

Myrica pensylvanica

Rubus fruticosa Chester (Thornless)

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Northern Bayberry
Chester Thornless Blackberry

Northern Bayberry makes an excellent hedge or feature shrub. It will retain its leaves in warmer climates but drops them in colder areas. They produce blue-grey berries that have a wax coating on them that can be used to make candles or soaps.

In colder hardiness zones the leaves turn an attractive orange to red colour in the fall, making it a striking addition to your landscape.

Northern Bayberry is native to Nova Scotia and tolerates both drought and wet conditions. It is also a nitrogen fixer that tolerates poor soil conditions.

Chester Thornless Blackberry is a self-pollinating fruit-bearing shrub. In mid-summer, the Chester Thornless Blackberry produces large, sweet-tasting, heart-shaped blackberries that are perfect for fresh eating. It is a semi-erect blackberry plant that requires little support from a trellis to keep its fruit off the ground. Don't forget to protect your berries. The birds love this shrub almost as much as you will.

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

Northern Bayberry Quick Facts

Chester Thornless Blackberry Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 3b
Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Height: 0.9 m (3 ft)
Spread: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Spread: 3 m (10 ft)
Light: partial shade, full sun
Light: full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal, wet
Growth rate: slow
Growth rate: fast
Life span: long
Life span: short
Suckering: medium
Suckering: high

Toxicity: Warning: The wax from bayberry fruit is considered toxic and may be carcinogenic.

Flowers: pink
Berries: blue-gray
Berries: heart shaped black
Firmness: firm
Harvest: July
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: yes
Catkins: no


Native to: ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, PE
Other Names: candlewood, myrique de pennsylvanie, small waxberry, swamp candleberry, tallow bayberry, tallow shrub, tallow tree, tallowshrub
Other Names: chester blackberry, hardy blackberry