Glen Coe Raspberry

Rubus idaeus 'Glen Coe' is a Scottish hybrid, resulting from cross-breeding between a black-fruited raspberry and a red-fruited one. The result is a vigorous and highly productive variety that bears sweet purple-violet fruits. Its thornless stems are adorned with white flowers in May, which develop into raspberries ready to be harvested from July onwards. The aromatic fruit can be consumed fresh or used in pies, desserts, or jams. The maintenance of this raspberry bush is limited to an annual pruning of the oldest stems, which should be done in early spring. This hardy variety is easy to grow in non-scorching sunlight or partial shade, in moist, fertile, and well-drained garden soil. 

Rubus idaeus belongs to the extensive Rosaceae family, like strawberries, brambles, and wild roses. It is native to temperate Europe and Asia (from Turkey to China and Japan) and has been cultivated since the Middle Ages. It can be found in mountain forests and lowlands. It is a suckering shrub composed of upright, cylindrical stems that die in their second year after fruiting. The plant's base produces new stems every year. There are other species of raspberries, originating from Europe, Asia, or America.

'Glen Coe' is the result of a cross-breeding between Rubus idaeus 'Glen Prosen' - a local Scottish variety with red fruits - and R. occidentalis 'Munger', a black-fruited variety from North America that was introduced in 1897 and extensively cultivated on more than 600 hectares in Oregon. This hybrid was developed by the Scottish Crops Research Institute, an agricultural research centre near Dundee (now integrated into the James Hutton Institute). Introduced to the market in 1989, 'Glen Coe' still surprises with the unique colour of its fruits, which is intermediate between its two parents.

This fast-growing raspberry bush produces vigorous, slightly bluish shoots. The stems are thornless, which is a definite advantage during harvest! The deciduous leaves are a vibrant green, and the winter wood takes on a beautiful burgundy colour. Simple white flowers appear in May, grouped in numerous small clusters. They are popular with bees. Once pollinated, the flowers develop into almost spherical fruits, which take on a deep purple-violet hue. These raspberries are composed of small fleshy drupes clustered together. They ripen from late June to early July and last until August-September. This hardy variety tolerates temperatures below -20°C (-4°F). It thrives in neutral to acidic moist soil, in sunny or partially shaded locations. The fruits appear on 2-year-old shoots. These shoots should be pruned to ground level at the end of the following winter to enable new fruit-bearing shoots to grow.

Raspberries should be consumed soon after picking, as they do not keep well. Since this variety yields a bountiful harvest, consider making coulis, sorbets, pies, or jams with them. They can also be frozen. The production reaches its normal level in the third year after planting. A plant can bear fruit for around 10 years. 

Mayberry (Lonicera caerulea subsp. kamtschatica), red currants, black currants, blueberries, blackberries, and climbing strawberries are good companions for this delicious raspberry bush. Their compact size and ease of cultivation make all these small fruits perfect candidates for creating a fruit hedge.