(Blackberry) This is the sweetest most flavorful blackberry on the market! I know what you are thinking, everyone says that about their blackberries. This claim has been backed up with a study published in the journal ‘HortScience’. TASTE OF HEAVEN™ Rubus is a thornless blackberry plant variety that produces an abundance of large berries that are sweet with just the right amount of tang. The luscious berries produce for weeks in the summer providing high yields for fresh eating or jam and pie making! TASTE OF HEAVEN™ Rubus is a floricane blackberry meaning it will produce fruit on second year canes. It is hardy in zones 5b-9 and grows 3-5 feet high by 2-3 feet wide. TASTE OF HEAVEN™ Rubus has sturdy canes that can be grown without trellising, but is easier to care for if some support is used. It is self-pollinating so does not require a second variety to produce fruit. Growing best in rich, well-drained acidic soil, TASTE OF HEAVEN™ Rubus requires regular watering making sure plants don’t dry out especially during flowering or fruit development. Blackberries do require pruning so follow these guidelines for the healthiest most abundant fruit production. In late summer, when all fruit has been harvested, prune the floricanes (fruiting canes only) back to the ground (they will die anyway). In late winter/early spring shorten any horizontal growth on the remaining canes to 12″ (these canes will become the new season’s fruiting canes). If there are a lot of canes and they seem tightly packed, thin them to 4-8 of the strongest canes spaced equally among the plant. In late spring/early summer when new canes that grow from the root are 30-36″ high, pinch the tips back to encourage horizontal growth. With just a bit of care you can enjoy picking luscious blackberries in your own backyard! The thornless blackberry plant, TASTE OF HEAVEN™ Rubus, is a Proven Winners® ColorChoice® Shrub.