Different Raspberry Bushes

Black Raspberries

• Black Hawk and Cumberland black raspberries are hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture hardiness zones 5 to 9, all other varieties in zones 5 to 8. Both plants produce medium to large berries and are ready for harvest in the summer. Black raspberries are very hardy and easily overtake a garden space unless they are pruned severely each year. They grow from dormant bare-root cuttings planted in the wintertime. After their second growing season, the old canes need pruning back to ground level each winter. Other black raspberry varieties include the early to midsummer fruiting Allen and Jewel.

Red Raspberries

• Amity, Latham, Durham and Regency raspberry bush types produce medium-sized red berries. Amity is a popular variety with dark red berries on an everbearing bush. Everbearing raspberries produce two crops per season, one in early spring and the second in fall. Red raspberry varieties have tall, erect canes and propagate from sucker plants growing from the main root system. The popular Latham cultivar is summer bearing with round, deep red berries that range in size from small to large. Regency comes to harvest in midsummer and Durham in the fall, both with medium-sized red raspberries.

Yellow Raspberries

• All yellow-gold raspberry varieties are everbearing and also more heat sensitive than red or black raspberries. Fall Gold is a popular cultivar that gives large, conical-shaped berries that are sweet tasting. All raspberry bush types thrive in soil with high organic content and good drainage. They are fertilized throughout spring and summer, but not fall, when the plants begin to go dormant. Golden Harvest, Kiwi Gold and Goldie are yellow varieties that also produce large berries. Yellow raspberries are used to make jam, jelly, pies and other desserts.

Purple Raspberries

• Purple raspberries are also more heat sensitive than black or red. Brandywine is summer bearing, with large, round purple fruit and a tangy taste. Royalty comes to harvest in late summer and early fall, with large conical shaped berries. It is hardy in USDA zones 4 to 7. Success is a raspberry bush that produces small to medium size berries. Berries remain clean and easier to pick when the canes are trained onto T-shaped trellis support systems. Some varieties grow canes as long as 20 feet, while others have erect, upright growth to 5 feet in height.