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Expertly Grown in the UK
Carefully Hand Delivered

autumn-sale

'Opal' Dwarf Blackberry Plant

The gem your patio deserves

Grown by John

South Downs National Park

Garden-Ready Plant in a 9cm Pot

10-20cm

£12

Out of stock

Perfectly happy plants, or your money back

Specialist overnight plant delivery

The highlights

  • Sensationally sweet
  • Compact and thornless
  • Eat straight from the plant or use in pies
  • Harvest in August and September

Description

  • Want your very own blackberry bush but worried you don't have the space? 'Opal' has you covered!
  • With an upright habit and growing to only a metre or so in height, this blackberry variety is a great option for those gardeners limited on space. Just because you only have a small courtyard garden in the heart of the city shouldn't mean you can't get your very own taste of the country hedgerow
  • Producing a glut of juicy blackberries at the end of summer and the beginning of autumn, the berries boast sumptuous sweetness with a welcome touch of tang
  • Unlike many blackberry plants, this variety's berries are borne on thornless stems, which makes harvesting them child's play!
  • Plant in a large pot and grow as a free-standing bush, or alternatively, plant in the ground and train the canes against a horizontal wire trellis
  • With swollen, juicy fruit and delicate white flowers appearing at the start of summer, it's no wonder that the blackberry is recognised by the RHS as one of its Plants for Pollinators, making this variety (or any other blackberry variety for that matter) an excellent choice for wildlife gardens

What To Expect

Supplied as:

Potted plant
Garden-ready plant in a 9cm pot

Height on arrival:

10-20cm

Eventual height:

0.8-1m

Eventual spread:

0.8-1m
Spreads approximately 0.8-1m.

Tasting notes:

Sweet, juicy and moreish

Time to first crop:

2 years
Blackberry bushes, including this variety, typically take a couple of years before they start producing their bumper crops of fruit.

Flower colour:

White
Small white, five-petal flowers appear in spring and early summer

Habit:

Bushy, upright
Forming a neat bush that doesn't spread too much, this variety is ideal for container and patio growing.

Hardiness:

Hardy
A hardy blackberry plant that will be able to survive cold winters.

Self fertile:

Self fertile

Uses:

Crumbles, jams and cheesecakes

Rootstock:

Spacing:

1-1.5m
Plant 1-1.5m apart to allow for spreading.

How To Grow

Excellent pest and disease resistance

This blackberry plant isn't often affected by pests or disease, and your biggest challenge with this variety will be keeping the birds from getting at your delicious blackberries! Using some netting can help with this, but it's important that you choose a material that won't risk trapping the animals.

Water well when establishing

As your blackberry establishes during the first year after planting, it will benefit from regular watering, especially when the weather is dry. After that, though, extra watering will only usually be needed in extended dry spells.

Full sun

Plant somewhere where your blackberry plant will receive at least 6 hours of direct sunlight per day.

Any moist, well-drained soil

Blackberry plants grow well in a range of soil conditions, but prefer moist soil with good drainage capabilities.

Feed every spring

During springtime, apply a fertiliser with a high potassium content.

Planting Calendar

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  • Best time to plant
  • Harvest
  • Flower

South Downs National Park

Meet John

110 years' expertise free with every plant

You simply can’t buy better fruit plants and here’s why. John grows them outdoors, just like his family has done since 1908, so they’re more than a match for the UK weather. John only has time for the top performing varieties, meaning that you can be assured of a successful (and blooming tasty) soft fruit crop.

What customers say about us

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Growing with Roots

Good to know

Our plants are grown 
in the UK

Specialist UK growers we know and trust grow your plants the traditional way, with organic fertiliser and biological pest control. They pick only the healthiest plants for you, professionally pruning them so that they’ll grow strong and well shaped.

Our plants are delivered overnight

Your plants are sent to you fresh from the field in our plastic free box that’s specially designed to hold them tight, then securely delivered by specialist plant couriers - straight from the grower to your garden within 
24 hours.

We're here to help at every step

We want your plants to have a long and healthy life. Expect easy-to-follow grow guides and videos devised by our team 
of experts.

Perfect plants, guaranteed

We’re confident that you’ll be delighted 
with your new plants. Need help? Alice and her team are here to guarantee you’re 
perfectly happy.

Digging deep to answer your questions

How do I know I'm getting quality plants?

All of our plants are grown in specialist nurseries with the highest standards of plant care and sustainability. We guarantee you'll love them as much as we do! Don't just take our word for it - we've got thousands of great reviews on Trustpilot.

When will I get my plants?

The delivery timescale for each plant is on the web page (near the 'add to basket's button). You'll receive a dispatch email with an exact delivery date once your plants are on their way, so you can get the garden ready.

How will my plants be packed and delivered?

We send all of our orders through a courier network designed to handle plants. Specialist equipment ensures that no plants will be damaged during the packing process and every order is carefully finished and checked by plant-loving humans. Your plants will arrive in the most sustainable packaging possible with minimal to no plastic used.

Where do you deliver?

We deliver to anywhere in Mainland UK for our standard delivery cost. We are able to deliver most plants to Highlands and non UK mainland however this will be at an additional cost. This will be calculated at the checkout. Please note, deliveries to these locations will take longer. Unfortunately, we are not able to deliver to Northern Ireland at present.

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