Several of the best blackberries for a Scottish garden were bred in Scotland, at the James Hutton Institute in Dundee, which gives you a good starting point. From there, the choice comes down to how cold and exposed your site is, how much room you have, and whether you'll put up with thorns.
Quick answer
Loch Ness as the all-rounder. Merton Thornless or Loch Maree for a cold, exposed site. Adrienne or Loch Tay for a small garden, and Karaka Black for the biggest berries.
What Scotland means for the choice
Every blackberry here is very hardy. Most are rated H6The RHS's H1a–H7 scale for how much cold a plant can survive outdoors, H1a being tender indoor-only and H7 hardy anywhere in the UK. Full definition →, hardy anywhere in the UK to between -20°C and -15°C. Merton Thornless and Loch Maree are H7, hardy below -20°C, the extra margin for a cold or exposed plot. Timing matters too: an early variety gets its crop in before the autumn turns, while a late one keeps cropping to the first frosts. The blackberry growing guide covers planting, soil, training and pruning.
| Variety | Hardiness | Height x spread | Thorns | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loch Ness | H6 | 1.5–2.5m x 1.5–2.5m | Thornless | Mid-August to first frosts |
| Loch Tay | H6 | 1–1.5m x 1–1.5m | Thornless | Earlier than Loch Ness |
| Loch Maree | H7 | 1.5–2.5m x 2.5–4m | Thornless | July to August |
| Merton Thornless | H7 | 1.5–2.5m x 2.5–4m | Thornless | August |
| Adrienne | H6 | 1–1.5m x 1–1.5m | Thornless | From mid-July |
| Karaka Black | H6 | 1.5–2.5m x 4–8m | Thorny | Early summer into autumn |
| Loch Katrine | No rating yet | No figure yet | Thornless | An 8-week season |
Loch Ness and Loch Tay hold the RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGMThe RHS's Award of Garden Merit: a UK-wide trials award for reliable performance, not a Scotland-specific recommendation. Full definition →), a UK-wide award rather than a Scottish one. The award isn't a hardiness ranking: the H7 varieties don't hold it.
Loch Ness and Loch Tay
Loch Ness, bred at the Scottish Crop Research Institute (now the James Hutton Institute), is a popular, widely grown blackberry: compact and thornless, with firm, glossy fruit that has the tangy flavour of wild blackberries. It crops over a long season, from mid-August to the first frosts. Loch Tay is another compact Hutton variety, 1–1.5m each way, semi-upright and thornless, with sweeter fruit that ripens earlier.
Merton Thornless and Loch Maree, for cold sites
Both are rated H7, a band hardier than Loch Ness. Merton Thornless crops in August and tolerates a wide range of soil pH. Loch Maree is a mid-season variety with large fruit in July and August and notable double pink flowers. Both spread 2.5–4m, so they need more room than Loch Ness.
Adrienne, for a small garden
Adrienne is an early, thornless blackberry with large, firm, conical fruit with a good flavour from mid-July. It grows to about 1.5m by 1.2m, moderate for a blackberry, so it suits a small garden; some growers give a wider spread, nearer 2.5m, so allow a little extra.
Karaka Black, for big berries
Karaka Black, bred in New Zealand, has large, shiny black fruit up to 7.5cm long, averaging over 10g a berry, and the longest cropping season here, from early summer into autumn. The trade-off is thorny canes and a spread of up to 8m.
Loch Katrine, one to watch
Loch Katrine, released in 2024, is the first new Hutton blackberry since 2006. It has sweet, aromatic fruit (a sugar-to-acid ratio of 17) up to 9g, over an eight-week picking season, with trial yields matching Loch Ness. It's too new for an AGM trial or a hardiness rating.
Which one for your situation
- One reliable, thornless blackberry: Loch Ness.
- A cold or exposed plot: Merton Thornless or Loch Maree.
- A small garden: Adrienne or Loch Tay.
- An early crop on a compact plant: Adrienne, from mid-July.
- The biggest berries, with room to spare: Karaka Black.
- Sweet, aromatic fruit: Loch Katrine, when you can find it.
Watch for aphids, raspberry beetle and grey mould on any of them, and net against birds once the fruit colours. For the hybrid berries, see the best tayberry and best loganberry varieties.
Common questions
Which blackberry is hardiest for Scotland?
Merton Thornless and Loch Maree, both rated H7, hardy below -20°C. The others are H6, hardy to between -20°C and -15°C, which is still plenty for most Scottish gardens.
Which blackberry is best for a small garden?
Adrienne or Loch Tay, both about 1–1.5m each way. Adrienne also ripens early, from mid-July.
Should I choose a thornless blackberry?
For most gardens, yes: most of the best choices here are thornless, including Loch Ness and Loch Tay, which makes picking and pruning easier. Karaka Black is thorny but gives the biggest berries.
Sources
Show the 9 sources
- Blackberries and Hybrid Berries: Grow Your Own: AGM varieties: Loch Ness (popular, widely grown, compact, thornless) and Loch Tay (compact, semi-upright, thornless)
- Rubus fruticosus agg. 'Loch Ness': H6, size, harvest window, fruit
- Rubus fruticosus agg. 'Loch Tay': H6, size, earlier and sweeter cropping
- Rubus fruticosus agg. 'Loch Maree': H7, size, flowers, July to August harvest
- Rubus fruticosus agg. 'Merton Thornless': H7, size, soil pH tolerance, August harvest
- Rubus fruticosus agg. 'Adrienne': H6, early ripening in mid-July, fruit, size
- Rubus fruticosus agg. 'Karaka Black': H6, thorns, fruit size, early summer into autumn, spread
- James Hutton Institute — Blackberry Breeding: Loch Ness and Loch Tay breeding; Loch Katrine
- How to Grow Blackberries (Gardener's World): Adrienne spread; Loch Katrine