Utopian dreams of a back garden potager have been rather crushed this season by the vigour of my ‘Polka’ raspberries. I’m not saying that I don’ t love the fact that I can pop out in my pyjamas to pluck a few tasty berries for breakfast, but when space is tight in my petite urban patch, these autumn raspberries have been pushing their boundaries somewhat, crowding out roses, sedums and tulbaghias in their wake. Also, as they make their way further into the bed, I end up trampling other plants as I venture in to pick these irresistible fruits.
On a recent trip to East Malling Research Station (courtesy of Lubera), we spent a blissful sunny afternoon tasting row upon row of raspberries in their test fields. And one of the topics we did discuss (as well as the fantastic breeding programme at EMR) was the need to protect other plants form raspberries by placing barriers (about a foot deep) around them if you want to keep them contained. Even in my front garden, which is more allotment style planting, these enthusiastic growers have romped through what once was the asparagus bed and I’ll need to cut them off at the pass before they continue their journey into the herb patch. Not quite sure what I’m going to use to do this. Sheets of slate perhaps or length or two of steel? (Lizzie from Puggs Meadow Flowers, below, suggests bamboo root barrier, so I’m going to give this a try).
However, I’m not going to corral the brutes in my back garden and have decided it’s time for a few more flowers, moving the raspberries to the front garden (once they’ve finished fruiting), where they’ll get a little more room to spread.
Great Dixter Plant Fair, with its top notch nurseries from the UK and Europe, has been very timely and this weekend I’ve found a few treasures to fulfil my re-design. Above is the gorgeously delicate orange Kniphofia ‘Light of the World’ from Edulis which shines out like a glowing torch on a dull autumnal day and will contrast beautifully with this just about hardy (in London) Salvia ‘Love and Wishes’ from Dysons Nurseries. Seduced by its rich hues and very long flowering period (June to November, yes indeed), I shall overwinter it for its first year in the greenhouse, then it will have to fend for itself. Fingers crossed.
Both seem to sit well in colour and texture with the softer and brighter pinks already flowering at this time of year in the garden and I’ll just have to get dressed before I gather in my raspberries next year (oh, for an extra half an acre!).
On a slight tangent, there were some great talks at the plant fair and Marina Christopher of Phoenix Perennials was very informative about which plants attract bees and other pollinators into the garden. She also demonstrated, with these Asters, that pistils (the pollen area on a flower) will turn from yellow to red once pollinated, so that bees won’t have to waste their time visiting flowers already depleted of their food source. Amazing.
Out of my shed 
Goodness, confining growing autumn raspberries sounds much like the way I grow phyllostacys bamboo! The plant fair sounds inspiring and I love the kniphofia ia/salvia combination, gorgeous contrast of colour and form. Yesterday we drive past quite a wild but stunning looking bank of these orange pokers left to grow in rough grass – stunning. As you say, oh for another half acre!
Hi Kate, Luckily raspberries rather easier to dig out than bamboo, but they are nippy little travellers!
The plants fair was fantastic. 23 great specialist nurseries, from France, Germany, Holland and the UK, really informative bite-sized talks and a really chilled atmosphere-gorgeous weather didn’t hurt either.
Really appreciating these lovely kniphofias. Great Dixter also grows a Kniphofia uvaria Nobilis which is a bit of a beast, but great for height and flaming colour at the back of a border.
Bamboo root barrier would do it – I might have some spare when you come down
Thanks Lizzie, yes please to root barrier! N x
I moved Autumn Bliss last year as it was travelling under concrete paths and appearing further along the garden. I grow Polka too and prefer the flavour, both are supposedly corralled in raised brick beds now, we shall see. The trip to East Malling sounds good, did you have a favourite raspberry?
Hi Julie, we were tasting new plants yet to be named and tagging the best tasting ones as we went along. Trials can start off with 8,000 different plants (all grown from seed) and gradually they narrow it down from there to find new tasty varieties, with a good shape and size. Really interesting to see how it’s all done.
We planted six canes each of Autumn Bliss and Joan-J earlier this year and they’ve already started shooting up all over the place. I didn’t think this through… Oh well, we’re enjoying the fruit at the moment and I’ll deal with the unwanted shoots when it’s time to cut them back. Your time at the Great Dixter Plant Fair sounds great and I love that salvia. How interesting about the Aster pistils. Nature’s brilliant.
Hi Sam, yes, nature is brilliant indeed and I can see on your coastal blog that tyou’re a tad partial to an orange and purple combo too! Joan J and Polka seem to be the best tasting varieties about at the moment, but it was great to visit EMR to see how they go about developing new varieties.
I’m going to have to take drastic action with my raspberries too Naomi, my back hurts just thinking about it. That salvia is a glorious colour, and looks fabulous with the kniphofias. A small price to pay for having to don clothes. Or just strut your stuff in your pjs like the do in Liverpool? Raspberry-picking onesie anybody?!
Hi Janet, I have ventured out to the front garden in my pyjamas, but I don’t want to get into the habit!.Might never bother getting dressed!
Luckily raspberries are so shallow rooted, so actually looking forward to getting them all dug out to make room for my new lovelies, and will have some spare canes no doubt to share with neighbours too.
I love my raspberries. I trim the dead (past fruiting) limbs off in the fall. During the growing season, I either move the ones that creep out, give them to someone, or just pitch. I’ve tried keeping them contained and can’t do it but it’s worth the bags in the freezer. 🙂
Hi Judy, mine never seem to make it to the freezer and I’ve very envious that you’ll have these delicious fruits well after they’ve gone from the garden. Maybe next year…
I’m thrilled to know about the Asters and the bees! We too went to wonderful Dixter on Saturday and came away with lots of irresistible plants but the one that really fascinated was the small white Aster with different coloured pistils. Now I know and it’s brilliant! Isn’t that the best plant fair of all?
Love the blog, as always.
Hi Sally, Yes, all the plants were very tempting and seeing the garden still so floriferous in October was magical, but the icing on the cake for me was all the talks from such great nursery owners. Definitely worth the trip if you can get there…
Fascinating – I wonder how many plants have that pistil change. I’ve seen it happen with apples, pears and roses and wondered if it was a sign the flowers had been pollinated. It looks like a number of us are contemplating moving our raspberries – I am too, so I have room at the top of my plot for the local farmer to deliver a trailer load of manure. I’ll be planting them with some barrier fabric too, I had wondered about a rubble bag I have, but I suspect they’d grow through that like it wasn’t there.
Hi Michelle, raspberries do seem very adept and squeezing through available gaps, so I reckon root barrier fabric is the way to go.
Shall be keeping my eye out for pistils from now on to see if I can detect bee activity in other flowers too. Hours of fun! N x
You could use a flexible pvc root barrier. I’ve had to use it for wandering bamboo. It’s not as pretty as slate but is flexible and so goes round corners. All sorts of bamboo websites sell it on a roll. Not expensive. Presumably you’d only need it 45cm deep and you could slice it up and give your mates pieces if they have similar probs. It’s also quite discreet, protruding only a couple of inches above the soil surface.
Thanks Ian, yes, this seems like a good option and could contain the roots in whatever shape the raspberries have grown to.
Those darn raspberries…………………….
Delicious to eat though and wouldn’t be without them….N x
I’m sceptical about root barrier fabric after seeing a pink Japanese anemone pushing offshoots up through it.
Is this a case where it would be better to grow the raspberries in (huge) plastic containers, perhaps sunk into the soil, like mint? Anything fully biodegradable would eventually rot away but I’ve seen big pots made at least partly with recycled tyres etc,
Hi Diana, Ian, above, suggests a pvc root barrier, so I might give both pvc and material barriers a go and see which works best as raspberries aren’t deep rooted and can spread over a long (and thin) area which might take quite a few pots.
I couldn’t agree more, as lovely as it is to pick a handful of raspberries in the morning these girls just don’t show any sense of modesty whatsoever – I have just moved one to a gravelly patch by the shed where I don’t have anything else. Solitary confinement may work.
And what a great blog you have here 🙂
Hi Anne, Yes, you’re right. Definitely better in their own little spot than mingling with more delicate plants that they can happily weave their way through (and then obliterate). Hope yours flourish in isolation next year.
Note to self … must grow Autumn raspberries, mine are all done by August, and then there s such a long wait!
Hi Jane, just picked a delicious bowl of raspberries from the back garden this morning (don’t mean to rub it in) as the canes seem to have really hit their stride over the last couple of weeks, providing bountiful amounts of these great fruits. ‘Polka’ and ‘Joan J’ definitely worth growing and Lubera have given me an ‘Autumn Amber’ orange variety to trial for next year too.
Easy to grow, no need to stake them and supplying the most tasty berries when most others have finished for the year-what’s not to love!
All of this talk about growing raspberries is making me feel bad for having not grown some of my own… clearly I am missing out!
Hi Angie-Now’s the perfect time to order your own raspberries-Would definitely recommend growing ‘Polka’and ‘Joan J’. Plant canes this winter and you’ll have bowlfuls for your breakfasts next autumn…..