Rubus fruticosus Purple Opal - Blackberry

<strong>Blackberry or bramble</strong> is a cousin of raspberries which s<strong>tands out for black fruits generally firmer and produced in late summer</strong>. It belongs to the Rosaceae family. Wild brambles (common bramble or bramble of the woods<em> Rubus fructicosus</em>, elm-leaved bramble <em>Rubus ulmifolus, </em>etc.) are woody, creeping plants with woody climbing stems, also capable of rising to over 1.50 m in height, of clinging to trees thanks to numerous sharp thorns and of layering several metres from the stump. These very thorny lianas, often encountered at forest edges or in hedges, sometimes form impenetrable thickets called<strong> bramble patches which nevertheless do not deter blackberry enthusiasts! This small juicy fruit with a beautiful dark coat</strong>, rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, <strong>has a flavour both sweet and tart</strong>. In France, its main production area, in the Rhône-Alpes region but also in Limousin‑Périgord and Anjou, accounts for a few hundred tonnes. <strong>Most cultivated bramble varieties</strong> <strong>have</strong> <strong>few or no thorns and high yields with fruits often very large, round or ovoid reaching </strong>2 cm in diameter as with <a href="https://en.promessedefleurs.eu/fruit-trees/berries/blackberry-bush/thornless-blackberry-loch-ness-rubus-fruticosus.html">Loch Ness</a>, <strong>black but also red</strong> as with the variety <a href="https://en.promessedefleurs.eu/fruit-trees/berries/blackberry-bush/blackberry-dorman-red-rubus-fruticosus.html">Dorman Red</a>. Some are perpetual like <a href="https://en.promessedefleurs.eu/fruit-trees/berries/blackberry-bush/everbearing-blackberry-reuben-rubus-fruticosus.html">Reuben</a>, offering an abundant harvest of large black fruits from mid‑July to November. <strong>There are compact varieties 1 m high, which can be grown on a balcony</strong> such as <a href="https://en.promessedefleurs.eu/fruit-trees/berries/blackberry-bush/blackberry-little-black-prince-rubus-fruticosus.html">Little Black Prince</a>. Blackberries are <strong>h</strong><strong>ardy and easy to grow</strong>, <strong>they make do with ordinary soil though they prefer fertile, well‑drained and cool soils</strong>. Shelter against a wall exposed to non‑scorching sun or in partial shade suits them perfectly and will showcase the bare wood of the flexible shoots in winter. Upright‑stemmed varieties are trained in a fan, while those with woody climbing stems are guided more horizontally and can cover an arbour.