Rubus idaeus 'Heritage'

Rubus 'Heritage' is an everbearing variety with juicy, dark red fruit that is great fresh or made into jams, pies, or other tasty treats. It produces a decent crop in summer and then has an abundant fall harvest. The large, firm berries will not fall apart when picked if left for a day or two. This is a self-fruitful plant that does not require a separate pollinizer, but you may want multiple plants for more of that delicious fruit! Easy to grow. Bred from the Native American red raspberry.

Uses: Cottage Gardens, Erosion Control, Mass Planting, Naturalizing, Slopes, Vegetable Gardens, Woodland Gardens
Nature Attraction: Birds, Bees, Butterflies
Notable Features: Edible, Fast Growing, Easy Care
Growth Habit: Rounded, Shrubby, Spreads by Rhizomes

Homeowner Growing Tips: Grow in sun to partial shade in moist, but well-drained, moderately fertile, acidic soil. Amend with compost before planting, and apply mulch afterward. After the first year, apply an all-purpose, granular fertilizer at half the recommended rate in spring, as growth resumes; another feeding may be applied in autumn if desired. Plants may be divided in early spring.

Annual pruning:
Blackberries and raspberries flower and fruit on two-year-old canes. Each year, everbearing raspberries grow new canes that will produce some fruit on their tips in autumn. The following summer, those same canes will produce more fruit on the lower part of the stems. In late winter, cut out any winter-damaged canes, thin any excess canes, and trim back the tips of any canes that fruited in the autumn (you'll see the remains of the spent flower clusters on those stems). After the summer harvest, cut those spent canes to the ground, to encourage the growth of new productive canes. This simple, regular pruning routine will ensure that the plant's energy goes into the most productive stems, for the best harvest possible. It will also keep the plant from becoming a tangled thicket!