Black Raspberry vs Northern Bayberry - TreeTime.ca

Black Raspberry vs Northern Bayberry

Rubus occidentalis

Myrica pensylvanica

COMING SOON

(new stock expected: fall of 2025)

NOT AVAILABLE THIS SEASON - MIGHT RETURN

Black Raspberry
Northern Bayberry

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.

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.

Black Raspberry Quick Facts

Northern Bayberry Quick Facts

Zone: 3a
Zone: 3a
Height: 1.8 m (6 ft)
Height: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Spread: 1.8 m (6 ft)
Spread: 2.4 m (8 ft)
Light: any
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: slow
Life span: short
Life span: long
Suckering: high
Suckering: medium
Maintenance: medium


Toxicity: Warning: The wax from bayberry fruit is considered toxic and may be carcinogenic.
Berries: red to black
Berries: blue-gray
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: yes


Native to: ON, QC, NB
Native to: ON, QC, NS, NB, NL, PE
Other Names: bears eye blackberry, black cap, scotch cap
Other Names: candlewood, myrique de pennsylvanie, small waxberry, swamp candleberry, tallow bayberry, tallow shrub, tallow tree, tallowshrub