Loganberry
Rubus x loganobaccus
A blackberry-raspberry hybrid bramble producing long, deep-red berries on vigorous trailing canes. Reliable and hardy, it is a classic garden cane fruit.
- Light
- Full sun to partial shade
- Water
- Regular; deep weekly watering
- Difficulty
- Moderate
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Overview
The loganberry is a hybrid bramble in the genus Rubus, created by crossing a blackberry with a raspberry. It originated by chance in the garden of James Harvey Logan in California in 1881.
The plant is a vigorous, trailing cane fruit producing long, conical, deep wine-red berries that are larger than those of a raspberry.
Loganberries are hardier and more disease-resistant than many brambles and are valued as a dependable, easy-to-grow garden bramble.
How to identify it
A vigorous trailing bramble with elongated dark-red berries.
- Leaves: Compound with 3-5 toothed leaflets, deep green, raspberry-like
- Canes: Long and trailing, traditionally thorny though thornless forms exist
- Flowers: White, five-petaled, in late spring to early summer
- Fruit: Long, conical aggregate berries 2-3 cm, dull dark red
- Size: Canes trail 2-3 m and require support
Care & growing
Productive and relatively trouble-free with trellising.
- Light: Full sun for best fruiting; tolerates light shade
- Water: Water deeply and regularly while fruiting; mulch to retain moisture
- Soil: Fertile, moisture-retentive, well-drained soil, slightly acidic
- Temperature: Hardier than boysenberry, tolerating cold-temperate winters
- Feeding: Balanced fertilizer in spring plus a compost mulch
- Propagation: Tip layering of cane ends; train canes on wires and cut out old fruited canes after they finish fruiting
Habitat & origin
The loganberry is a garden-origin hybrid with no wild range, descended from a North American blackberry and a European raspberry.
It arose in Santa Cruz, California, and is now grown across temperate regions including the UK, the US Pacific Northwest and New Zealand. It thrives in cool, moist temperate climates.
Frequently asked questions
What is a loganberry a cross between?
It is a hybrid of blackberry and raspberry, combining the size and shape of a blackberry with the trailing cane form of a raspberry.
Do loganberries have thorns?
The original is thorny, but thornless cultivars are widely grown and much easier to handle.
How do I prune loganberries?
They fruit on second-year canes, so remove canes that have fruited once they finish and tie in the new canes for next year.
How can I identify a loganberry plant?
Look for long, trailing canes, raspberry-like compound leaves with 3-5 toothed leaflets, white five-petaled flowers, and long, conical, dull dark-red aggregate berries.
Loganberry guides
In-depth guides for identifying, growing, and caring for Loganberry.
