Heart-shaped foliage
Large textured leaves give bold structure and turn yellow before falling.
Morus nigra ‘Mulle’ organic 13cm
Normal price
€11,90
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The legal guarantee concerns the plant’s conformity at delivery. It is not a guarantee of survival or growth for two years. Each issue is assessed taking into account the nature of the plant, its care and the conditions in which it is kept. Your statutory rights remain unaffected.
Morus nigra ‘Mulle’
It stays low, shy and full of fruit, so it never becomes a burden 🍇
- Fruit ripens red to black
- Slow long-lived growth
- Sun · sheltered position
- Height up to 10m
Morus nigra ‘Mulle’ is a mulberry for anyone who enjoys watching a young shrub gradually become a broad tree with character. Dark green heart-shaped leaves create a cool crown, while the fruit changes from green to red and finally deep black when ripe. It grows slowly, needs little pruning and rewards a permanent sunny position where dark juice is not a concern.
It suits a sunny garden with enough space for its broad crown. A large container can accommodate it in the early years, with provision for its future growth.
What makes it special
‘Mulle’ offers slow, attractive development, a broad crown and very dark fruit that ripens in succession.
Successive ripening
Fruit changes from green to red and finally black, so it can be picked in several passes.
From shrub to tree
The young shrubby plant develops over time into a tree that can reach 10m in height.
Why you will love it: It slowly becomes a tree with history, shade and fruit rather than spending all its impact in the first season.
In the garden & on the terracePositioning & plant combinationsA permanent sunny position, deep free-draining soil and distance from sensitive paving.
Ideal position
Choose a permanent sunny sheltered position with deep soil from the start. Allow ample space for the broad crown of a tree that can reach 10m in height, and keep it away from pale paving.
Compatible combinations
Companions should tolerate early sun and light shade later without obstructing the collection of fallen fruit.
- Geranium macrorrhizum — It covers the outer zone and adapts as the broad crown creates more shade.
- Epimedium × perralchicum — Elegant spring foliage suits the mature crown without obstructing harvest.
- Cyclamen hederifolium — It brings low autumn flowers as the mulberry approaches leaf fall.
Care at a glance
Light
Full sun, preferably in a sheltered position.
Water
Deep watering during establishment and fruit swelling.
Climate & hardiness
Cold hardy; give extra protection to a young plant and to roots in a container.
Safety
Only ripe, washed fruit; the juice stains paving and fabrics strongly.
Detailed careComplete care guideSoil, watering, support, feeding and cultivar-specific prevention.
Soil
Use fertile, humus-rich soil that stays moist yet drains freely. Avoid winter waterlogging and exposure to cold dry wind.
Watering
Water young plants deeply and during prolonged drought, especially while fruit is filling. Let the surface re-aerate between waterings.
Training
Keep a short trunk or three main stems and select 4–6 broad outward limbs. A mulberry is not easily moved once established.
Feeding
Apply mature compost in spring. Avoid excess nitrogen, which creates long soft growth and delays wood ripening.
Harvest space
Do not position the mature plant over pale paving, seating or vehicles. Ripe fruit drops and stains.
Prevention
Keep the crown open, remove shrivelled fruit and prune before mid-winter, when cuts lose less sap.
From flower to basketFruiting & harvestSimple guidance on pollination, ripening, picking and protecting the crop.
Pollination
It is self-fertile, so one plant is enough to set fruit.
When it ripens
Fruit ripens successively in summer, often from July to September depending on site and climate.
How to harvest
Wait until fruit is deep black and very soft. Pick over a shallow tray or clean cloth because ripe fruit drops and crushes easily.
Use
Eat fully ripe washed fruit promptly or use it for jam and juice. Red firm fruit has not completed ripening.
After planting: choose its permanent position and allow the short trunk and main limbs to strengthen.
Clear pruning planHow to prune this fruiting plantLate autumn to early winter, before mid-winter
When to prune
Late autumn to early winter, before mid-winter
‘Mulle’ grows slowly and needs little pruning. Shape it in the early years, then remove only dead, very low or crossing branches before spring growth begins.
01
Build
Young plant
Action: Choose a short trunk or three main stems and remove only narrow forks, broken growth and very low branches.
Retain: Keep length and foliage so the wood can thicken.
02
Train
Young crown
Action: Before mid-winter remove a branch that crosses or grows into the centre. Do not shorten every new shoot.
Retain: Keep 4–6 broad outward limbs and all well-lit small side shoots.
03
Renew
Mature tree
Action: Remove only one selected old bare or problematic branch to a younger outward side shoot. Avoid large cuts.
Retain: Keep the broad framework and most mature fruiting wood.
New / productive — retainOld or exhausted woodCut point
Clean tools
Use sharp, clean tools suited to the diameter of the wood.
Summer
Remove only broken or diseased material and any shoot obstructing access. Do not carry out routine summer pruning.
Do not do this: Do not make large cuts in late winter or spring, and do not try to keep a large tree small by sudden topping.
Development over timeHow the plant developsA realistic path from establishment to mature form.
Young shrub
Early stems are slender and relatively upright, with large heart-shaped leaves.
Crown expansion
As wood thickens, limbs spread and create a broad asymmetric tree.
Long-lived form
The mature mulberry gains character from its twisting framework and crops successively on small side shoots.
Mature habit & dimensions
Mature form in the groundHeight up to 10mBroad crownA shrub developing into a tree
‘Mulle’ develops from an upright young shrub into a tree with a broad crown and a strong branched framework.
Form through the seasons
Successive summer ripeningSlow growthHeart-shaped foliageBlack fruit
SpringLarge dark green heart-shaped leaves open along broad limbs.
SummerSmall fruit changes from green and red to deep black within the open crown.
After leaf fall the slowly thickening, lightly twisting framework becomes the main ornamental feature.
What to expect after planting: Early stems are slender and relatively upright, with large heart-shaped leaves.
History & originCultivar originThe story of ‘Mulle’ begins with an unnamed seed in Kristianstad and a single tree retained at Balsgård in the 1960s.
Mulberry seed reached Kristianstad in southern Sweden, where the city gardener sowed it and shared the resulting young plants. His name and the exact year of sowing have not survived, but one of those seedlings followed a different path from the others.
During the 1960s, that seedling was planted at Balsgård, the Swedish fruit and berry research and selection centre outside Kristianstad. It was observed there for years and stood out for unusual hardiness in the Swedish climate, sweet, aromatic dark fruit and its value as a garden tree.
The Balsgård tree was chosen as the mother tree of ‘Mulle’ E, and all authentic clones of the cultivar descend from it. Vegetative propagation preserved its traits, and the plant entered the Swedish certified E-plant system, turning a chance city seedling into a recognised Scandinavian cultivar.
Greenleaf for Plant NerdsScientific details nobody asked forBotanical detail behind the plant's appearance and behaviour
One fruit from many flowers
A mulberry is a multiple fruit, or syncarp, formed from many small flowers in one inflorescence. Each flower’s calyx enlarges and becomes fleshy around its tiny fruit, joining its neighbours to form the juicy whole.
Frequently asked questions
Six practical answers for choosing, growing, harvesting and pruning this exact cultivar.
01Does it need another mulberry?
No. It is self-fertile and can fruit on its own.
02Does it suit a small garden?
Only where there is room for its future growth. In the ground, ‘Mulle’ can reach 10m in height and develops a broad crown.
03How large does it become?
In the ground it can develop into a tree up to 10m tall, with a broad crown. Choose a permanent position with ample room from the start.
04When does the fruit ripen?
It ripens in succession during summer. Pick only black soft fruit that releases with the lightest touch.
05Can it remain in a container?
A large, deep container with free drainage and even watering can accommodate it in the early years. Plan for its future growth: this is not a dwarf mulberry.
06When should it be pruned?
Lightly from late autumn to early winter, before spring growth begins.
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