Flowering Raspberry vs Grouseberry - TreeTime.ca

Flowering Raspberry vs Grouseberry

Rubus odoratus

Vaccinium scoparium

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

CUSTOM GROW

Flowering Raspberry
Grouseberry

The Flowering Raspberry is an ornamental shrubby plant that blooms with fragrant light purple flowers throughout the summer and has a large, decorative foliage of bright green leaves. The flowers resemble that of a wildrose, and the foliage turns a bright yellow in the fall. This cultivar produces small red raspberries, similar to that of a thimbleberry, but the fruit is mostly tasteless.

The Flowering Raspberry, also known as Virginia Raspberry or Purple-Flowered Raspberry, makes a great hedge plant and is a good choice for attracting birds to your yard.

Grouseberry is a native, low-growing deciduous shrub known for its edible red berries. In early summer, it produces small, urn-shaped flowers ranging from white to pink that attract bees and other pollinators. The berries provide an important food source for many types of wildlife, including game birds such as grouse, which gives the plant its common name. People can also enjoy the berries fresh or in baked goods, though they can be difficult to harvest in large quantities.

Spreading by rhizomes, Grouseberry forms dense, broom-like mats that help stabilize soil and prevent erosion, while also providing cover for ground-nesting wildlife. It is commonly found beneath conifers in open forests, subalpine meadows, and occasionally on rocky slopes in mountainous regions. It is well-suited for naturalization, ecological restoration, and soil stabilization projects.

Flowering Raspberry Quick Facts

Grouseberry Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 2a
Height: 1.8 m (6 ft)
Height: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Spread: 4 m (12 ft)
Spread: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Light: any
Light: shade, partial shade
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: slow
Life span: medium
Life span: medium
Growth form: low growing, colony-forming
Spreading: rhizomes - medium
Suckering: high
Maintenance: high
Maintenance: medium


Fall colour: reddish
Bark: thornless orange
Flowers: purple
Flowers: small pink, bell-shaped
Bloom time: spring
Berries: red to purple, seedy
Berries: small, bright red, edible
Firmness: firm
Flavor: tasteless
Flavor: tart
Harvest: summer
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


Native to: ON, QC, NS
Native to: AB, BC
Other Names: purple-flowered raspberry, virginia raspberry
Other Names: dwarf red whortleberry, grouse whortleberry, little-leaved huckleberry, red alpine blueberry, small-leaved huckleberry