RASPBERRIES, LOTS AND LOTS OF RASPBERRIES

I'm not in denial anymore. I know the likelihood of any of my little breeding projects actually producing anything viable, never mind any individuals with some garden worthy traits is pretty damn unlikely. Commercial breeders grow thousands upon thousands of plants to find that one winning individual that ends up at your local garden center (or your local farmer's field). But since I'm by no means an expert I'll let you get a bit of a lesson from this enthusiastic terma-breeder (get it? like termninator, except breeder... cause of the German thing... its probably not a good sign when your own jokes make you sad).



As far as pure numbers go there's no way the home gardener can come anywhere's near close, unless you have your own personal working farm with lots and lots of cheap and over-educated labor (which there is actually a lot of these days... so maybe if you have some surplus land and some spare change you could give professional plant breeding a try). But as much as I'm finally being realistic as far as my own limitations are concerned (well kinda realistic-ish, at least compared to my usual standards), this doesn't mean I've lost faith in the potential of the plants I'm working with. On the contrary, while I might be deluding myself, I feel like what home breeders lack in numbers, they can make up for in strategic crosses, exploiting the untapped and under-appreciated diversity within the genus they're working with.

If anything I've only gotten more excited, particularly with the main group of plants I've started working with, Rubus spp., aka raspberries and blackberries. This group becomes even more relevant when you consider the current trend of "patio edibles" (compact plants that do double duty as both ornamentals and productive edibles for the home landscape). Aside from this cosmopolitan genus's general aggressiveness there are many species within this group that have traits that lend themselves really, really well to the garden, mainly relatively big rose-like flowers (to which family they belong), delicious fruit (that freezes really well and is the main component of most of my smoothies!!!), and at least semi-ornamental foliage. Thought I'd use this post to highlight several of the species I'm working with, as well as a few other that hold some untapped potential. Viva la RUBUS!!!


SHRUBBY RUBUS SPP.


Rubus deliciosus syn. Oreobatus deliciosus - Rocky Mountain Raspberry or Boulder Raspberry
Zones 5-9, although I was only able to find 2 sources and one of them said 3
This super showy western North American species has been largely overlooked by the horticultral industry in the states. But of course, as the UK generally does with our underappciated natives, has given the plant it's proper horticultural due by crossing it with a closely related Mexican species (R. trilobus) to produce a popular ornamental across the pond, Rubus x tridel 'Benenden'.
Purchase from: Forest Farm, Fort Collins Wholesale Nursery



Rubus odoratus - Flowering Raspberry
Zones 3-8
Still humming away underneath the radar, this is one of our native shrubs that deserves much wider use in those in between trouble spots, especially in the northeast. STOP USING RHODIES!!!! Use this instead.
Purchase from: Amanda's Garden, Forest Farm, Keeping it Green Nursery, Lazys's Farm, Long Island Natives, White Oak Nursery, Shooting Star Nursery, Wild Ridge Plants, Yellow Springs Farm



Rubus parviflorus - Thimbleberry or White Flowering Raspberry
Zones 3-?9? (I've seen a lot of sources list 9, but since it seems most of the material out there is from the pacific northwest, I can't imagine it would do well much past 7 in the east)
A more refined, slightly more elegant, white flowered version of R. odoratus. While R. odoratus is native to the Northeastern US, R. parviflorus is native to the Pacific Northwest (down to northern California) as well as disjunct populations in the Great Lakes region. The red pedicles, simple white flowers and large crisp green leaves remind me a bit of Geranium macrorrhizum var .album on steroids.
Purchase from: Burnt Ridge Nursery, California Native Nursery, California Native Plants
and Habitat Enhancement Services, Las Pilitas Nursery, Out Back Nursery, Mostly Native Nursery, Rolling River Nursery, Seven Oaks Native Nursery, Wood Brook Native Plant Nursery, *Villager Nursery
*This nursery offers a pink form.



Rubus spectabilis - Salmonberry
Zones 5-8 (although none of the sources I found had a consistent zone range)
One of the tallest species in the Rubus clan, this guy can reach well over 12 ft and fills a similar niche in the pacific northwest as flowering currant, flowering early to attract the first hummers of the season. Despite its stature, based on very superficial observations this species seems more closely allied to R. articus, so I'm not quite sure how to categorize its genetics as far as future breeding work and what it has to offer.
Purchase from: Forest Farm, Fort Collins Wholesale Nursery, Fourth Corner Nurseries, Rain Tree Nursery, Seven Oaks Native Nursery, Yerba Buena Nursery



Rubus x fraseri - Fraser's Raspberry
Zones: ?
A documented hybrid in the UK between R. parviflorus and R. odoratus, and perhaps the queen of the genus. I'm hoping my attempt to cross the two parents of this beauty will be the first of my breeding projects to prove "fruitful" (I have found no source for the hybrid, only confirmation that it's happened, with the pictures to prove it). I'm Hoping to gradually select a seed strain adapted to the northeast that combines the best of both's it's parents. Currently the R. parviflorus material I've obtained has been flower shy, and fairly weak growing, most likely due to its pacific northwest origin (see image below, R. parvilforus is half the size of R. odoratus and a brighter, almost chartruese green). I'm hoping at some point to obtain (hopefully) more heat/drought tolerant material of R. parviflorus from disjunct populations of the species from the Great Lakes region.
Purchase from: ?




GROUNDCOVER RUBUS SPP.


Rubus articus - Artic Raspberry or Arctic Bramble
Zones 2-7, have also seen 1-5
A circumboreal species. The European species was crossed with the western north american subspecies Rubus arcticus subsp. stellatus to get most of the named varieties available in the horticultural trade in the U.S.. All progeny from these crosses are referred to as Rubus x stellarcticus.
Purchase from: KORE Wild Fruit Nursery, Peuraniemi Nursery



Rubus chamaemorus - Cloudberry or Bake Apple
Zones 2(1)-7, guessing
Another circumboreal species. The fruit of this plant actually makes up a substantial part of the economy of northern Scandanavia.
Purchase from: Pacific Rim Native Plant Nursery, Peuraniemi Nursery



Rubus flagellaris - Northern Dewberry
Zones 3-8, guessing
Abundant in the fields and roadsides of where I grew up. Generally prostrate, adaptable and aggressive.
Purchase from: Earth Tones, Possibility Place Nursery



Rubus hispidus - Swamp Dewberry or Bristly Dewberry
Zones 3-7
Purchase from: Out Back Nursery, Shooting Star Nursery


Rubus pubescens - Dwarf Red Blackberry or Dwarf Raspberry
Zones 3-7, guessing
Purchase from: Alpha Nursery, BotanyCa, Prairie Restoration, Inc., Grand Moraine Growers


Rubus lasiococcus - Roughfruit Berry or Dwarf Bramble
Zones ?
A cute little diminutive species from the pacific northwest.
Purchase from: California Flora Nursery, Cornflower Farm

And to conclude my Rubus ridiculousness I leave you with this guy. Your welcome.

LABURNOCYTISUS, CHITALPA..... & APOGNA?!, OH MY!

This season I decided to take my first crack at a few of the hybrid ideas I've had bouncing around in my head for quite some time now... technically my second crack I guess. I actually tried last summer, but the parent plants I started got accidentally trampled to peices before I could do anything with them, so I've discounted it as an actual attempt. Needless to say I'm hoping this season will be slightly more successfull.

For anyone who isn't familiar with Laburnocytisus or Chitalpa, I mentioned them purely to establish a baseline of weirdness to demonstrate that my ideas for hybrids aren't completely implausible. Weirder stuff has definitely happened.


First on the to do list:
Apios americana x Vigna caracalla (aka Apogna)



Other than for pure entertainment purposes, what I was hoping to accomplish with this cross was to take a much under-appreciated (both horticulturally and agriculturally), but somewhat aggressive native perennial vine Apios americana, and cross it with what at least looks to be a closely related, but much showier tropical perennial cousin, Vigna caracalla to produce a (hopefully somewhat hardy) still showy and better behaved plant that will hopefully allow the larger horticulturally consuming masses to begin to appreciate A. americana. For whatever reason it seems that in ornamental horticulture sometimes it takes a novelty hybrid to highlight the understated virtues of one, or both of the parents. While there is no scientific basis other than belonging to the same family (Fabaceae) that would indicate that these two could produce fertile offspring, the visual similarities are undeniable and enough indication for me. Hopefully I'm right.




Second on the to do list.... and one I am particularly excited about trying:
Passiflora incarnata x Passiflora lutea



The simple motivation behind this cross was to retain the majority of the characteristics of P. incarnata, but improve winter hardiness. P. incarnata (as far as I'm concerned) has no faults other than being tempermental in colder usda zones (5 and 6). P. lutea on the other hand, while certainly not as showy, is more realiably hardy. Ironically, I feel the previous potential intergeneric hybrid (Apios americana x Vigna caracalla) is more likely to be a success, despite the fact that all passion flowers belong to the same genus (Passiflora). In this case P. incarnata and P. lutea inhabit a similar range, and the fact that there has not been any record of naturally occurring hybrids between the two species is not encouraging, but I will try none the less. Additionally, aside from the fact that it could just not be possible, I will have to locate plant material of both species from the northern extent of their ranges, ensuring that I'm at least starting out with the maximum possible cold adapted genetic material.


Third on the to do list:
(Rubus arcticus x Rubus flagellaris)



I have always been happy to find Dewberry (R. flagellaris) flowers poking up through the grass of an abondoned feild or at the edges of a roadway. The flowers always reminded me a bit of anemones in their delicate character. Unfortunately, the plant as a whole is anything but delicate, and has always been a bit too wide rambling, aggresive, and overly adaptable to have warranted cultivation, even though the fruits are edible and comparable to other wild-type blackberries. To temper and restrain the plant, and make it more ameable to both ornamental and agricultural cultivation, R. arcticus seemed like a perfect partner. Fairly restrained in both habit and form, soft muave-magenta (can magenta be soft?) flowers, and yummy fruit, Arctic Raspberry (Rubus arcticus) couldn't have been more complementary. Its only downside is that it is obviously not very heat tolerant, but I'm hoping the contributions by R. flagellaris will take care of that problem. Unfortunately, I will only be able to locate and obtain R. arcticus in preparation for next year, as both plants are currently in flower, and I only have have access to R. flagellaris. Ignoring the fact that the actual pollination won't happen till next year, I'm really excited to see the qualities of the first generation offspring. Between fruit, flower, and groundcover potential, I'm hoping at least one of the children will be a star.

However, even if my all my efforts prove fruitful (get it?), the storage, stratification, treatment, and (with a lot of luck) successful germination of any viable seed will be the most difficult part. Lucky for me (and now for you too!) I know of 2 great sources that will hopefully help me out: William Cullina's Wildflowers: A Guide to Growing and Propagating Native Flowers of North America and Joseph Tychonievich's Plant Breeding for the Home Gardener: How to Create Unique Vegetables and Flowers.

Wish me luck and happy hybridizing!!!!