While researching topics to write about for our website I came across references to plants known as Brazelberries. Having never heard of them previously I was intrigued to investigate them further. It turns out that they are not a new variety of berry per se but a family of compact fruits including Blueberries, Raspberries, and Blackberries that were developed specifically for containers and smaller garden spaces. They were produced by Star Roses and Plants who also brought gardeners the Knockout Rose and have recently been rebranded under the name Bushel and Berry.

The 2016 National Gardening Report indicates that gardeners spent 3.6 billion dollars growing herbs, vegetables and fruits and Brazelberries are designed to support this growing demand. Not only are these plants compact but they are also self-pollinating and thus you don’t need to buy more than one of them to successfully grow fruit. They also produce a significant quantity of fruit that are full of antioxidants, Vitamin C and are a great source of fiber.

Each variety of Brazelberry has its own distinct characteristics. Here is a brief overview of each one:

  • Peach Sorbet Blueberries - This plant grows to be about 2 feet tall. As the name suggests its fruit has a flavor like a peach and its foliage ranges from pink, orange, green and purple depending on the time of year. This gives it year-round interest.

  • Jelly Bean Blueberries - This variety is slightly smaller growing less than 2 feet tall with plenty of berries to pick by mid-summer. It prefers full sun but will tolerate partial shade and its foliage changes from green to red during the growing season.

  • Perpetua Blueberries - You can have two crops of berries with this variety! It produces its first crop in midsummer and then flowers a 2nd time to provide fruit in the fall as well. The leaves are dark green and turn red in the winter.

  • Pink Icing Blueberries - This variety is slightly taller at up to 4 feet in height. Its foliage starts out pink and then turns green as the season progresses. During the fall and winter, the foliage turns blue while the stems maintain their red color.

  • Blueberry Glaze Blueberries - Its glossy, dark green foliage will remind you of a Boxwood shrub. You can even prune this variety into an edible hedge. The smaller berries are almost black in color and have a flavor similar to wild blueberries.

  • Raspberry Shortcake Raspberries - Imagine a Raspberry that grows only to 2 to 3 feet in height needs no trellis to support it and has no thorns. This plant is it! The fruit is very sweet with a hint of a vanilla flavor to it.

  • Baby Cakes Blackberry - This dwarf, thorn less berry produces large fruits in the summer and in cooler areas a 2nd crop in the fall. The plants get to be 3 to 4 feet tall and its ripe black and unripe red fruits make a colorful display.

These plants, particularly the ones without thorns, are great for kids who love to pick and eat the healthy fruit from your garden or containers. If you’ve never tried growing fruit of your own or if you only have small space to work with these plants could be just for you. 

Photos courtesy of Star® Roses and Plants

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  • 2bloggingninja@gmail.com Sep 09

    THis is great.

    Thank you!

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