Rubus occidentalis ‘Jewel’ (Summer Bearing Raspberry)

Among the first raspberries to ripen, Rubus occidentalis ‘Jewel’ (Summer Bearing Raspberry) is a vigorous, self-fruitful, thorny shrub with clusters of white, rose-like flowers which give way to a great abundance of large black raspberries of excellent flavor in late spring to early summer. The berries are great for fresh eating, canning and baking. Rubus occidentalis is a species native to eastern North America.

• Grows up to 2-3 ft. tall and wide (60-90 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 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.

Genus Rubus (brambles) includes popular species such as Rubus idaeus (red raspberry), R. occidentalis (black raspberry), R. fruticosus agg. (blackberry), R. parviflorus(thimbleberry), R. odoratus (Flowering Raspberry), R. ursinus (Western Blackberry), along with well-known hybrids like loganberry (Rubus × loganobaccus), boysenberry, and tayberry (blackberry × raspberry).