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It fruits and gives you a reason to step onto the terrace 🍇
Family: Rosaceae · Pot diameter: 15cm · Height: approximately 50cm
Rubus LOWBERRY® ‘Little Black Prince’ puts glossy blackberries on a terrace without thorns, wild canes or a tall trellis. The compact shrub stays around 80–100cm, fruits on new canes from August into autumn and stands with one simple low support. It is a practical handsome solution for picking sweet dark fruit beside the kitchen even when space is genuinely limited, bringing the pleasure of a blackberry harvest into a neat container-sized form.
Cut every cane low for the simplest main harvest, or retain two short old sections if you want a small early crop.
‘Little Black Prince’ achieved something rare: a true black blackberry on a dwarf, nearly self-supporting thornless shrub.
Low growth brings glossy fruit to an easy everyday picking height.
One low support is enough to keep loaded canes orderly.
A low winter cut gives a simple autumn crop, while a few retained sections add early fruit.
Why you will love it: It makes blackberries practical for people with only one bright corner and one large container.
Plant in sun or bright partial shade, allowing 60–80cm between plants. In very hot areas choose morning sun.
Lemon thyme, low phlox and aromatic chamomile surround the container with colour and fragrance.
Sun or bright partial shade; afternoon protection during prolonged heat.
Even moisture from flowering until the end of harvest.
Good winter hardiness to about −20°C; insulate the container and protect roots from repeated freezing.
Wash fully ripe fruit before eating.
Plant in deep fertile soil that drains well yet stays cool. Add organic mulch around the roots without covering the cane bases.
Water deeply when the top few centimetres dry. Even moisture from flowering to harvest helps fruit fill uniformly.
One low circular support is enough. Retain 4–6 strong compact canes and an open centre.
In early spring add mature compost and a balanced fruit-plant feed according to its label. Avoid excess nitrogen.
Mulch the roots, remove weeds by hand and pick frequently. During prolonged heat, provide light afternoon shade.
Do not retain many old canes, water the container consistently and pick once black fruit softens slightly.
It is self-fertile and crops alone. Bees and bumblebees help the berries develop evenly.
The main harvest runs from August into October; a few retained old sections can provide early July fruit.
Pick when fruit is fully black, glossy to slightly matt and releases without a hard pull.
Secure netting to a separate frame as fruit begins to colour and leave easy access.
After planting: retain complete compact canes and add a low support only if they begin to lean.
Late winter, depending on whether you want one or two crops
‘Little Black Prince’ offers two simple choices. Cut every cane low for one clean late crop, or retain a few short sections of last year’s canes for a small early crop before the main one.
Action: For one main harvest cut every old cane low.
Retain: Retain a clean crown for strong new canes.
Action: Retain only 2–3 healthy sections of last year’s canes at about 30cm.
Retain: Retain short lateral buds and an open centre.
Action: Cut the short old sections at the base as soon as they finish.
Retain: Retain complete new canes for the main late crop.
Use sharp, clean tools suited to the diameter of the wood.
Use a low circular support only if loaded canes lean.
Do not do this: Do not retain many old canes for extra early fruit; they will shade the new main growth.
Short strong canes fill the container without long trailing growth.
Glossy black fruit ripens on new canes from August.
Optionally a few short old sections produce a small crop before the main harvest.
Mature ‘Little Black Prince’ forms a low bundle of compact canes with glossy black fruit around the upper crown.
Compact architecture combines short internodes with early flowering on new canes, naturally limiting height.
What to expect after planting: Short strong canes fill the container without long trailing growth.
‘Little Black Prince’ arose from a difficult Lubera goal: bring the black-blackberry experience into a container without retaining the long trailing canes and prickles of old cultivars. Compact and repeat-fruiting Rubus material was crossed for years.
Among the new lines one plant stood out with canes only 80–100cm tall, virtually thornless, carrying its main crop on same-year growth. Glossy black fruit ripened from August and the crown stood with minimal support.
The selection was released as LOWBERRY® ‘Little Black Prince’, representing a true change of scale for blackberries. The option to retain a few short old sections added an early crop without losing the simple main autumn system.
The ability to differentiate flowers on same-year growth is much rarer in blackberries than raspberries and was a central breeding target.
The two traits are controlled by different genetic regions. Stable combination with productive fruit requires repeated selection among many offspring.
Six practical answers for choosing, growing, harvesting and pruning this exact cultivar.
It is self-fertile and crops alone. Bees and bumblebees help the berries develop evenly.
0.8–1m high and approximately 0.5–0.7m wide, with the habit described above.
Yes, it is designed for a 40–50-litre container with a low circular support.
The main harvest runs from August into October; a few retained old sections can provide early July fruit.
No. A low circular support is enough only when loaded canes begin to lean.
In late winter: cut all low for one main crop, or retain two short sections for a small early crop.
