General description: The strawberry-raspberry, also known as the balloon berry or the Japanese raspberry, is a small shrub that reaches 60 cm in height, but usually grows to around30-40 cm tall. It’s characterized by a lovely, round habit. It’s worth mentioning that this is not in fact a cross between a strawberry and raspberry, but a separate species belonging to the Rosaceae family.

Flowers: The strawberry-raspberry has white flowers consisting of five petals. They are quite similar to those of the strawberry plant.

Blooming: This shrub blooms at the turn of June and July.

Leaves: The strawberry-raspberry shrub has pinnately compound leaves composed of 3-7 lanceolate leaflets with a serrated margin. Leaflets are 3-8 cm long.

Fruit: Fruit of the strawberry-raspberry ripen in August on the previous year’s stems. They are spherical and large, around 3-4 cm in diameter. They are similar in taste to mulberries. Thanks to the size and intense red colour of fruit, the strawberry-raspberry shrub is very decorative.

Cultivation requirements: The strawberry-raspberry can be grown in heavy as well as sandy soils. It needs a moist, well drained substrate. It should be planted in about 40 cm deep holes and the distance between seedlings should be around 0.5-1 m. It prefers sunny locations, although it tolerates semi- shades spots. The shrub sprawls out easily, so it can be used to create unformed, low hedges. When planted in a large container, it can decorate a balcony or terrace.

Care: More frequent watering is recommended in summer due to the plant’s sensitivity to drought. The strawberry-raspberry produces numerous root suckers, so it has expansive tendencies when not controlled.

Overwintering: The strawberry-raspberry should be protected for the winter, e.g. by thick agrotextiles. Protection should be removed come spring.

Origin: Japan.