Common Name: salmonberry
Type: Deciduous shrub
Family: Rosaceae
Zone: 5 to 9
Height: 4.00 to 8.00 feet
Spread: 3.00 to 6.00 feet
Bloom Time: April to May
Bloom Description: Pink
Sun: Full sun to part shade
Water: Medium to wet
Maintenance: Low
Suggested Use: Naturalize
Flower: Showy
Leaf: Colorful
Attracts: Birds, Hummingbirds, Butterflies
Fruit: Edible
Other: Thorns
Tolerate: Wet Soil
Culture
Easily grown in moist, loamy, well-draining in full sun to part shade. Prefers mildly acidic soils. The leaves can scorch in full sun. Providing afternoon shade can help prevent this. Hardy in Zones 5-9.
Noteworthy Characteristics
Rubus spectabilis, commonly called salmonberry, is a rhizomatous, rambling, deciduous perennial shrub native to the northwestern coast of North America, from Alaska south to northern California. It has upright to arching, sparsely branching stems (up to 10' tall), and will spread by underground runners to form a large, relatively dense thicket. Mature canes are usually not thorny, and typically have brown, shedding bark. The compound leaves are made up of three leaflets with toothed margins. The bright pink to red pendulous flowers emerge in spring and are held singly or occasionally in clusters from the leaf axils. Aggregate fruits resembling raspberries or blackberries mature from golden orange to deep purple-red. This plant offers many benefits to wildlife. Hummingbirds and other pollinators visit the flowers, the fruits are a source of food for many bird and mammal species, and a salmonberry thicket provides cover and protection for small animals.
Genus name is the Latin name for brambles (blackberry and raspberry).
The specific epithet spectabilis means spectacular, possibly in reference to the showy blooms.
The common name salmonberry refers to the traditional use of the berries as a complement to meals of salmon and salmon roe.
'Golden Ruby' has bright, lime green foliage compared to the medium green of the species. It also has a more compact, mound forming habit, usually reaching a maximum of 4-8' tall at maturity.
Problems
No major pest or disease problems reported.
Uses
Due to this plant's thicket-forming nature, it is not recommended for formal landscape uses. However, it makes a wonderful addition to native gardens and woodland gardens. Also suitable for wetland restoration projects.