Exploring the Different Types of Berry Canes

23 May 2025

By Dana Bolton

Exploring the Different Types of Berry Canes

There really is nothing better than harvesting from your own delicious Berry Canes directly from your own garden or patio. Rich in flavour and vitamins the fruits are the ultimate snack food for fussy kids and foodies alike (did someone say homemade jams and berry cheesecake?!)

Mr Fothergill's stocks a large range of Berry Canes before the main growing season, ensuring you have access to high quality and disease-free dormant canes. With an array of cultivars and varieties it can take a bit of know how to decide what is best for your needs.

For a comprehensive guide to growing Berry canes, including how to grow them and when is the best time to plant them and harvest, be sure to check out our how to grow cane berries after you discover the ideal varieties for you below!

Berry Varieties & Characteristics

Variety	Characteristics
Raspberry Autumn Bliss	Heavy cropping Autumn fruiting Large, sweet fruits Primocane Variety (easy to prune)
Raspberry Golden Yellow	Super sweet, low acid golden variety Heat tolerant Disease resistant Floricane Variety
Raspberry Nootka	Great resistance to rot Ideal fruit for freezing Floricane Variety Produces bright red medium-sized fruits Summer fruiting with smaller Autumn yields
Raspberry Serpells Willamette	Early/Midseason variety Canes mostly thornless Floricane Variety Ideal for jams and preserves as fruits ripen in a short period of time
Raspberry Chilliwack	Summer fruiting with smaller Autumn yields Floricane variety Heavy cropping
Raspberry Willamette	Reliable cropper Mid-summer fruits with smaller Autumn harvests
Tayberry	A cross between a blackberry and a raspberry Large juicy fruits Sweet fruits with less tartness
Youngberry	A cross between a Blackberry, Raspberry and Dewberry Smaller and shinier fruits compared to boysenberry Sweet, delicious fruits

Loganberry	Cross between a raspberry and a blackberry Juicier and sharper-flavoured berries Ideal eaten fresh or used for baking
Blackberry Thornless	Abundance of sweet fruit in Summer Thornless vines allow ease of harvest Produces vigorous canes
Boysenberry	A cross between Blackberry, Raspberry, Dewberry and Loganberry Delicious mildly tart fruits Ideal eaten fresh or for use in pies and jellies
Elderberry	Grows into a large vigorous bush Adapt to a wide range of soils Produces many small juicy fruits in later Summer that are high in antioxidants Fruits are exceptional juiced or dried
Gooseberry	Self-pollinating Shrubs are hardy and deciduous with almost thornless stems The tart fruits are ideal for use in jams and desserts
Red Currant	Delicious early summer fruits Grows into a small hardy shrub Frost tolerant and low water requirement Fruits are tasty fresh or used for jams and desserts
Black Currant	Fruits in early Summer Produces many small, delicious berries that are rich in flavour and vitamin C Frost tolerant and low water requirement

Delicious Flavours

Have access to fresh, sweet berries at your doorstep with unique varieties such as Raspberry Golden Yellow – a cultivar rarely seen in shops but seriously tasty with low acid fruits, they probably won't make it into your kitchen!

Try out other flavours such as Red & Black Currants. With a short shelf-life you will struggle to find these at your local supermarket. Impress your guests with sweet and flavoursome cordials and syrups made with your own homegrown currants.

Unique Varieties

With a large range to choose from why not try a crossbred variety. Think Tayberries, Youngberry and Loganberries – all flavoured for their unique blend of flavour profiles, achieved from clever cross breeding.

Low Maintenance

Berry canes are a no-fuss perennial to keep in the home garden. Once established you can expect reliable crops year after year with little care. Simply amend your soil with plenty of compost, plant your canes and wait for the magic to happen. When it comes time to pruning why not choose an easy-care variety such as Blackberry Thornless for their thorn free canes which make harvesting and pruning a breeze. Autumn Bliss Raspberry is another excellent choice, as a primocane variety the canes are cut completely back to ground level in winter - no guess work required.

What are the best growing conditions for berries?

Berries thrive in cooler climates particularly and enjoy nutrient rich soils with plenty of compost and mulch to keep their roots cool. In warmer areas create a microclimate in a cooler corner of the garden that avoids hot western sun. For more growing tips check out our How to Grow Berries article.

Do raspberries like pots or the ground?

Raspberries are excellent grown in large planter pots or directly in garden beds depending on the space you must work with. Growing in pots allows you to move your raspberry plants about the garden should you need to protect them during the hot summer weather.

What is the easiest berry cane to grow?

You can't go wrong with old favourites such as Raspberries and Blackberries. Once established they are quite vigorous plants, producing oodles of fruits for delicious summer smoothies.

New gardeners may find growing from canes is easier than starting their berries from seeds too, as berry canes will spring into life very quickly once planted in warm soil. Sowing berries from seeds can be a labour of love, taking a longer time to grow and establish which means you will be waiting longer for fruits!