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The golden foliaged raspberry, Rubus idaeus 'Aureus' is a wonderful thing but it can be a bit feeble (it is here) and it doesn't fruit.
It seemed inevitable that someone would cross it with a strong, fruiting raspberry in the hope of getting a fruiting raspberry with gold leaves.
Clearly it has been done, this is the result. I was initially a little worried that it would be too vigorous and so I planted it in a tub. I have raspberry seedlings popping up
all over the garden as the result of a brief flirtation with fruit growing forty years ago. I didn't really want to add any more to the mix, delightful
as the golden leaves are. It turns out that I was over-cautious. GROOVY grows and fruits but it is hardly invasive. I need to keep the space around it clear or it suffers. Raised by Vitis-Idaea B.V., Plantipp (royalty management) say: "Everyone would love to take a bite from Rubus Groovy. It’s such an appetizing plant with its large, sweet raspberries! Its bright yellow leaves and red fruits also make it visually very appealing. Groovy is very easy to use: it fruits on new wood and has less and softer thorns than other Rubus. Groovy is hardy to -35 ºC. Prune in early spring. Give this raspberry a spot in the sun or partial shade. Plant in fertile, humus-rich, well-drained soil. Very good as solitary on terrace or patio, as a fruit hedge, for mass planting and plant borders." The cultivar has its own web page where it says: "Raspberry Groovy is a fantastic new concept for growing Raspberries on the patio or in the garden when you have limited space. Not only can you harvest tasty fruit, but Groovy provides a highly ornamental effect too, thanks to wonderful golden foliage. No other Raspberry is quite like it, with beautiful foliage like this never seen before. Groovy is completely multi-purpose, it will look fabulous where ever it is planted. Even mixed with shrubs and flowers in an ornamental garden border. Or simply grown on its own just for the leaves, let alone the crops of luscious berries. Groovy is a very special compact dwarf raspberry plant variety that produces short canes reaching around a metre tall. This makes them perfect for growing in large patio containers and smaller gardens. It is a primocane Raspberry, meaning it will fruit on new wood and canes that grow fresh each year. It is very easy to grow and care for – simply cut down the old wood at the end of each winter. Ready for the next year’s growth and crops to come forward. Throw down some feed and mulch with good compost at the same time, and be rewarded with even better crops and lovely leaves." Raspberries are extraordinarily delicious. Can you have too much hyperbole? Perhaps. |
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| 14th June 2019 | ||
