Walton's Plant Library

Other Names:  Thornless Blackberry

Group/Class:  Floricane - Summer Bearing

Description:

A self-fertile, thornless variety with large, sweet, high quality berries with good flavor; late ripening; blackberries are quite shrubby looking and require careful placement in the landscape, a specific pruning regimen, and protection from birds

Edible Qualities

Apache Blackberry is a medium-sized shrub that is commonly grown for its edible qualities. It produces large clusters of black heart-shaped berries which are usually ready for picking in mid summer. The berries have a sweet taste and a juicy texture.

The berries are most often used in the following ways:

• Fresh Eating
• Cooking
• Baking
• Preserves
• Canning
• Freezing

Features & Attributes

Apache Blackberry features dainty white cup-shaped flowers with tan anthers at the ends of the branches in mid spring. It has green deciduous foliage. The fuzzy oval compound leaves do not develop any appreciable fall color. It features an abundance of magnificent black berries in mid summer.

This is an open multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its relatively coarse texture can be used to stand it apart from other landscape plants with finer foliage. This is a high maintenance plant that will require regular care and upkeep. Each spring, cut back all dead and two-year old canes to the ground, leaving only last year's growth standing. It is a good choice for attracting birds, bees and butterflies to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Suckering
• Disease

Aside from its primary use as an edible, Apache Blackberry is sutiable for the following landscape applications;

• Mass Planting
• Naturalizing And Woodland Gardens
• Orchard/Edible Landscaping
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Apache Blackberry will grow to be about 6 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 5 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 2 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years. This is a self-pollinating variety, so it doesn't require a second plant nearby to set fruit.

This shrub may not always play well with others; as such, it is best grown in its own designated garden space or isolated area of an edibles garden. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It may require supplemental watering during periods of drought or extended heat. It is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid. It can be propagated by division; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Apache Blackberry is a good choice for the edible garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. With its upright habit of growth, it is best suited for use as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.