Raspberries: planting, pruning and care

Botanical description

The Raspberry is a small fruit belonging to the Rosaceae family, just like the Strawberry, the Dog Rose or the Bramble (blackberry) which incidentally bears the same genus name Rubus. Rubus are deciduous or evergreen bushes or climbing plants of Eurasian origin. Some Rubus are prized for ornamental purposes like Rubus cockburnianus, with its magnificent waxy white stems, or Rubus phoenicolasius with branches covered in red hairs. The Raspberry Rubus idaeus, cultivated particularly for its fruits, is a thorny bramble with fairly decorative bright green compound foliage and a pruinose underside. The species name idaeus, refers in Latin to Mount Ida in Crete where the raspberry grows wild. But it can also be found in the Alps, the Jura, in Auvergne and in many other European countries. The wild raspberry (Rubus idaeus) prefers cool climates where it can be found in mountain undergrowth, but also in lowlands, accompanied by elder, beech or rowan.

It is a deciduous bush with upright stems, forming a shrub of about 1.50 to 2 m in all directions over time. The biennial stems with reddish-brown bark die after fruiting but the plant continues to spread from its suckering stump, which produces new stems armed with small, barely prickly prickles every year.

The bright green leaves on top, whitish-green and tomentose underneath are composed of 3 to 7 dentate leaflets and a petiole. They measure 10 to 15 cm long.

Rubus idaeus – botanical illustration

The very melliferous flowering consists of clusters of 10 to 12 small white flowers (0.5 to 1 cm in diameter), not very decorative but which attract many insects. The flowers appear at the end of stems then in the middle of canes in perpetual varieties. They are self-fertile, which avoids having to plant different varieties. The cane dies after flowering at the end of 2 years. Its planting therefore requires dedicating a wide strip of at least 50 cm and keeping a watchful eye to control suckers.

The fruits are small clustered drupes, not adhering to the receptacle and which detach very easily at ripeness since generally only the fleshy edible part is harvested. Brambles have a receptacle that adheres unlike raspberries.

Non-perpetual varieties produce raspberries from June to early August while perpetual varieties (also called “autumn” varieties), fruit first in September-October at the end of shoots then in July of the following year in their lower part before dying. However, it is possible to concentrate the production of perpetual varieties from August until the first frosts by cutting back all canes in winter. The harvest then becomes single but more abundant. Production reaches its normal level in the third year after planting. A plant can produce fruits for several years, about 10 years.

Raspberries are low in energy, they contain two particular sugars, levulose and fructose, very little sucrose. The fruits also contain ellagic acid (a powerful antioxidant), tannic acid, vitamin C, and are a good source of potassium. It is also a medicinal plant whose young shoots and buds are used in gemmotherapy.

The main varieties of Raspberry Bushes

Our Favourite Non-Perpetual Varieties

Our Favourite Perpetual Varieties

Thornless or Dwarf Varieties

Raspberry Magnific Delbard- Rubus idaeus

Non-perpetual variety producing very large fruits (10 - 12 g), dark red, fragrant, with excellent flavour. Its firm berries have good keeping qualities and store well. Offering a late harvest in July and August, Magnific Delbard® shows good resistance to common raspberry diseases and drought.

• Flowering time June
• Height at maturity 1,20 m

See the product sheet

Raspberry Malling Promise- Rubus idaeus

Productive and early non-perpetual variety providing good-sized, dark red, quite firm and fragrant fruits that are easy to pick, from late June to August. This is a variety that requires training (2 m tall).

• Flowering time May, June
• Height at maturity 1,50 m

See the product sheet

Raspberry Twotimer Sugana Red - Rubus idaeus

Perpetual variety producing very large dark red fruits, quite firm and easy to pick, with excellent flavour

• Height at maturity 1,50 m

See the product sheet

Raspberry Zeva Herfsternte - Rubus idaeus

Very productive variety, offering large dark red, highly fragrant fruits in June-July then September-October. This is a nearly thornless variety.

• Height at maturity 1,50 m

See the product sheet

Raspberry Blissy or Autumn Bliss (Everbearing) - Rubus ideaus

Perpetual variety, vigorous with medium suckering and productive. Large, very fragrant conical dark red fruits, easy to pick with good keeping qualities (for tarts). The Blissy variety is one of the earliest among perpetual varieties, fruiting in June then from mid-summer. Resistant to dieback.

• Flowering time June to August
• Height at maturity 1,50 m

See the product sheet

Raspberry Glen Ample- Rubus idaeus

Non-perpetual variety producing large, fragrant dark red fruits from early July. The stems or canes are thornless. This Scottish-origin variety offers good yields.

• Flowering time June, July
• Height at maturity 1,50 m

See the product sheet

Raspberry Little Sweet Sister- Rubus idaeus

Dwarf thornless variety, reaching 1 m in height, ideal for balconies and terraces. Produces good-sized rounded fruits of an attractive dark red colour with a fairly sweet flavour. Very early harvest from mid-July and throughout summer.

• Flowering time June, July
• Height at maturity 1 m

See the product sheet

Raspberry Ruby Beauty- Rubus idaeus

Dwarf and compact thornless non-perpetual variety, 80 cm to 1 m tall, ideal for balconies and terraces. Produces medium-sized, fragrant and sweet red fruits. Each plant can produce around 1.5 kg of fruit. Harvest in June and July.

• Flowering time June, July
• Height at maturity 90 cm

See the product sheet

Planting raspberry bushes

Where to plant?

Raspberries can be found in warm climates as well as in high-altitude areas, exposed to full sun or partial shade. The Raspberry bush prefers partially shaded but bright locations. Plant it in loose, humus-bearing, well-drained soil that retains some moisture during summer as the root system is shallow. Chalky soils cause leaf chlorosis (ideal pH between 6 and 7.5).

When to plant?

Planting takes place from November to March for bare-root young plants and extends until June for those sold in buckets. Choose virus-free selected plants rather than suckers collected from a neighbour.

How to plant and train raspberries?

Training allows the bush to benefit from maximum sunlight and makes harvesting easier. If possible, arrange north-south oriented rows to ensure sunlight on both sides, with a spacing of 1.50 m between rows. Plan for a planting lifespan of 20 to 30 years.

• Set up a framework with 3 horizontal wires, spaced 40 cm apart vertically: at 80, 120 and 150 cm high. In a small garden, you can group 2 or 3 plants around a 1.50 m stake.
• Work the plot to a depth of 30 cm.
• Add compost (2 to 3 shovelfuls per m²) and optionally a base fertiliser for fruit trees with magnesium, near the roots. If your soil is chalky, add turf and later apply an acidic mulch (pine needles or bark…).
• Bury one young plant every 60 cm to 1 m, ensuring the collar remains at soil level.
• Mulch with wood chips, for example.
• When buds appear in spring, prune older stems to encourage sucker growth from underground stems.

Watch Olivier’s video on Dutch-style raspberry training.

In containers: Place a layer of gravel or clay pebbles at the bottom of a deep pot to improve drainage. Fill the container with a mix of potting compost, garden soil and compost.

→ More tips in our tutorial How to plant a raspberry hedge?

Maintenance and pruning of raspberry bushes

To properly care for your raspberry bushes:

• Apply a layer of manure or compost once a year in autumn to thoroughly cover the stubs left after pruning the fruited canes.
• In spring, supplement with a “special red fruit” fertiliser. Poor growth is more often due to a virus than a lack of nutrients. In this case, uproot and burn the young plant.
• Water the young plant regularly to encourage root establishment in the first year after planting. Thereafter, ensure it receives additional water during periods of intense heat or prolonged drought.
• Refresh the soil mulch (wood chips, dead leaves, etc.) to maintain moisture and fertility.
• Watch for suckers appearing outside the rank and thin out new shoots in June when they reach 70 cm, keeping only 10 per metre or per bush, which you will have preselected.
• Once the harvest is completely finished, cut the exhausted canes back to ground level.

Pruning raspberry bushes

This generally involves clearing dead wood and thinning new shoots that will fruit the following year, ensuring sufficient light reaches the heart of the clump.

• For non-perpetual varieties, remove all fruited shoots and the weakest suckers after harvest or in winter, retaining only 8 to 10 shoots per linear metre or per clump.
• For perpetual varieties, prune the upper part of recently fruited canes in autumn and cut back all 2-year-old shoots (often dried out). Select 6 to 8 suckers per linear metre. Alternatively: cut everything back for a single autumn harvest.

To learn more, visit this guide: Pruning raspberry bushes

Pruning non-perpetual raspberry bushes in winter

Diseases and pests of raspberry bushes

This accommodating bush is fairly resistant to diseases unless growing conditions are suboptimal, such as during a cold spring: raspberry anthracnose, raspberry rust, powdery mildew, or grey mould (Botrytis) during rainy periods may occur. To protect young plants, it is advisable to feed raspberries with organic fertilisers that promote the multiplication of anaerobic bacteria in the soil, enhancing the soil’s ability to stimulate the plants’ immune systems.

Raspberry bushes can also be attacked by certain parasitic pests, such as the raspberry beetle, the larva of a small beetle that burrows into the fruit, though it rarely causes significant damage. Hoe and weed the soil in winter to unearth buried cocoons, exposing them to cold and natural predators. Apply a tansy-based solution from late April onwards. Planting forget-me-nots between raspberry bushes may also have a repellent effect.

→ Learn more with our guide Diseases and pests of raspberry bushes

Harvest and storage

Raspberry Harvest

To be harvested, raspberries must be perfectly ripe, fully red (or yellow) all over, otherwise they won’t have developed their full flavour. But don’t wait too long! They shouldn’t crush when picked. For this, check your raspberry plants daily! This may seem tedious, but rest assured, it’s only for a relatively short period that comes to an end in the first weeks of August.

Storing Raspberries

• Raspberries can be kept in the fridge’s vegetable drawer for up to 1 week for the firmest varieties. You can also freeze them as you pick them, well spread out on a tray before gathering them in a freezer bag. They can then be eaten in salads, used raw for cakes or tarts…
• Turning them into jams, jellies, juices, coulis, ice creams or syrups is, of course, essential. Discover our raspberry jam recipe!

Propagating raspberries

Given the raspberry’s strong tendency to produce suckers, it is very easy to separate suckers or divide the clump for less vigorous varieties, preferably in autumn.

Dividing a raspberry stump

Using a well-sharpened spade, separate suckers with 10 to 20 cm of rootstock length.

You can also lift the entire stump and divide it into 2 to 4 sections, each containing strong stems.

Replant them immediately, ensuring the raspberry’s collar is not buried too deeply.

Water generously before spreading the mulch.

Learn more in our tutorial How to propagate raspberries?

Uses and Combinations

Combine several raspberry varieties, (grouping perpetual and perpetual varieties together, to facilitate pruning) on a strip about 1 metre wide with suitable trellising to create a hedge. This arrangement makes maintenance easier and allows for harvesting over a long period. This hedge can be used to delineate the vegetable garden, interspersed with a path where stray shoots can be easily removed. Raspberries can also be added to a rustic composition, alongside redcurrants, May berries, garden blackberries, dogwoods, wild roses, cranberries, or service trees that produce edible, vitamin-rich fruits. Container planting on a balcony is also easy to achieve, especially with dwarf, thornless varieties.

Did you know?

The cultivation of raspberries appears to date back to the late Middle Ages. In the forest, five to ten years after a beechwood cutting in particular, wild raspberry plants emerge in the cleared space, producing fruit for three to four years.

To supply nitrogen to the base of the raspberry plant, sow white or red clover, roughly worked into the soil with a rake in spring. The presence of aromatic plants such as savory, hyssop, Clary sage or rue has a repellent effect on pests.