Rubus idaeus ‘Nova’ (Summer Bearing Raspberry)

Cold-hardy and reliable, Rubus idaeus ‘Nova’ (Red Raspberry) is an early season cultivar that is vigorous and upright with long, fruiting laterals. The canes have very few spines, making picking pleasant. Clusters of white, rose-like flowers give way to medium-sized, bright red, firm raspberries which ripen in early summer. Released in Nova Scotia, this raspberry shrub is perfect for northern gardens. Resistant to most common cane diseases.

• Grows up to 3-4 ft. tall and wide (90-120 cm).
• A full sun to part shade lover, this plant is best grown in organically rich, slightly acidic, moist but well-drained soils. Raspberries dislike waterlogged soils and shallow chalky soils. For best results, plant in a sheltered, sunny position. They will tolerate light shade, but the yield is likely to be reduced.
• Raspberries are usually planted in rows and trained along a post and wire system. But, if you have a smaller garden, you can still grow raspberries, either in containers or trained up a single post
• Fall is the best time to plant raspberries.
• Prune in summer immediately after fruiting. Cut back the tips of everbearers that fruited last fall (top 1/3 of the canes) but leave the rest of the cane for summer fruiting. Remove the canes completely after they have fruited over their entire length to encourage the production of new canes. Promptly remove excess new plants and suckers to control spread.
• In late winter, remove any canes damaged by winter and thin, as needed, the remaining canes.
• Can get aphids, glasshouse red spider mite, raspberry leaf and bud mite, leafhoppers and raspberry beetle. May be affected by powdery mildews, raspberry cane blight, raspberry rust, raspberry spur blight or raspberry viruses.
• Propagate from suckers.