Chester Thornless Blackberry

Other Names: Thornless Blackberry

Group/Class: Floricane - Summer Bearing

Description:

The most winter hardy of the thornless varieties with large, sweet, high quality berries with good flavor; blackberries are quite shrubby looking and require careful placement in the landscape, a specific pruning regimen and protection from birds

Ornamental Features:

Chester Thornless Blackberry has green foliage throughout the season. The fuzzy oval compound leaves do not develop any appreciable fall colour. The flowers are not ornamentally significant. It features an abundance of magnificent black berries in mid summer, which are excellent for fresh eating, making jams and jellies and cooking and baking. This is a self-pollinating variety, so it doesn't require a second plant nearby to set fruit.The stems are brown but aren't particularly outstanding.

Landscape Attributes:

Chester Thornless Blackberry is an open multi-stemmed deciduous shrub with a ground-hugging 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 shrub 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 to your yard. Gardeners should be aware of the following characteristic(s) that may warrant special consideration;

• Suckering
• Spiny
• Disease

Chester Thornless Blackberry is recommended for the following landscape applications;

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

Plant Characteristics:

Chester Thornless Blackberry will grow to be about 3 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 10 feet. It tends to be a little leggy, with a typical clearance of 2 feet from the ground. It grows at a fast rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 10 years.

This shrub 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 is not particular as to soil type or pH. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This plant can be propagated by division.

This particular variety is an interspecific hybrid.