Chinese Creeping Bramble

Rubus Tricolor Hedging

Rubus tricolor, the Creeping Chinese Bramble, is a low, evergreen ground cover plant. It is suitable for dry, shady sites under large trees.
It will not grow taller than about 50cm, although it can scramble up fences and other plants. You can also buy native wild blackberries .

View our selection of groundcover plants or see our full range of hedging options.

Rubus tricolor bushes are only delivered pot-grown, year round.
All of our young shrubs are measured by their height in centimetres above the ground (the roots aren't measured).

Spacing Rubus tricolor as ground cover:
To get good ground cover quickly, plant it at a distance of about 24"-30" (60-90cm) between plants.

General description of Creeping Chinese Bramble plants:
This is a brilliant evergreen ground cover plant for those places where nothing will grow. It is suitable for planting under beech trees. It has glossy green leaves, white flowers and red, edible fruit which are its tricolor "three colours". It has numerous small spines, rather than big thorns like a native bramble.

History & uses of Creeping Chinese Bramble:
Rubus tricolor is native to China and was introduced to Britain by Ernest H Wilson in 1908.

Notes on planting Rubus tricolor:
Rubus tricolor will grow on any soil with decent drainage. It will not tolerate wet sites.

Prepare your site before planting:
It is good to dig over the area where you intend to plant several months in advance. Destroy the weeds first: nettles, brambles and ground elder are tough and weed-killer is the best way to remove them. Then dig the soil over; remove rocks, roots and other rubbish. Mix in well rotted compost or manure down to the depth of about 2 spades.
If you have a heavy clay soil, it might be too difficult to dig over for most of the year. Heavy clay is fertile soil, so you don't really need to improve it; killing the weeds is still necessary.

Remember to water establishing plants during dry weather for at least a year after planting.

Planting accessories:
Prepare your site for planting by killing the weeds and grass
If your soil quality is poor, we recommend using mycorrhizal "friendly fungi" on the roots of new trees and shrubs.
You can also improve your soil with bonemeal organic fertiliser.

After you plant your Rubus tricolor plants, the most important thing to do is water them in dry weather. You will also need to weed around the plants. Both of these will be necessary for at least a year after planting.
Water thoroughly but not too often: let the soil get close to drying out before watering your plants again.
Like all evergreen plants, Rubus tricolor is active and needs moisture in the ground throughout the year. This means that your establishing plants need to be watered in the winter when they are planted, if the weather is dry.

Special notes on caring for Rubus tricolor:
Rubus tricolor is a very tough plant that shouldn't need special attention once it has established. If pruning is necessary, it is best do it in winter. Always hire a tree surgeon to remove large branches.

Hygiene & Diseases:
Dead, damaged or diseased wood can be pruned off as soon as it appears.
Disinfect your pruning tools between every cut if there is any sign of disease.
Burn or dispose of any diseased material, do not compost it.