Peking Cotoneaster vs Balsors Blackberry - TreeTime.ca

Peking Cotoneaster vs Balsors Blackberry

Rubus fruticosus Balsors

Cotoneaster acutifolia

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Balsors Blackberry
Peking Cotoneaster

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 is a 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.

Peking Cotoneaster is a medium-sized shrub that is well adapted to colder climates. Best suited for use as a hedge, Peking Cotoneaster has dark green foliage that turns a stunning reddish orange in the fall.

Hardy fruit guru, Bernie Nikolai (DBG Fruit Growers), has started to recommend grafting hardy pear varieties to Peking Cotoneaster after his experiences were successful and produced fruit faster than other rootstocks. Remember to leave some nurse limbs if you try this.

Balsors Blackberry Quick Facts

Peking Cotoneaster Quick Facts

Zone: 4a
Zone: 2a
Height: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Height: 2.1 m (7 ft)
Spread: 1.2 m (4 ft)
Spread: 1.5 m (5 ft)
Light: full sun
Light: partial shade, full sun
Moisture: normal
Moisture: dry, normal
Growth rate: fast
Growth rate: fast
Life span: short
Life span: medium
Suckering: low
Suckering: none
Maintenance: medium
Maintenance: medium


Foliage: glossy upper surface
Fall colour: reddish-orange
Bark: has thorns
Flowers: white, spring
Berries: black
Berries: black fruit
Fruit size: large
Firmness: soft
Flavor: sweet
Harvest: August
Hybrid: no
Hybrid: no
Catkins: no
Catkins: no


In row spacing: 0.3 m (1.0 ft)
Between row spacing: 5 m (16 ft)
Other Names: balsor hardy blackberry, balsors hardy black blackberry, balsors hardy blackberry, hardy black blackberry, illinois blackberry