The tayberry was bred in Scotland, from a 1969 cross at the Scottish Horticultural Research Institute in Dundee. There are three to choose from, and the choice is a trade: the original is the hardiest, while the other two are more compact.
Quick answer
The standard tayberry for most gardens, and any cold or exposed one. Buckingham for thornless canes in a small, sheltered garden, and Medana for large, aromatic fruit.
What Scotland means for the choice
The standard tayberry is rated H7, hardy below -20°C, so winter cold won't limit it anywhere in Scotland. Buckingham and Medana are H5The 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 in most places even in severe winters, to between -15°C and -10°C, but they may struggle on open, exposed sites or in central and northerly locations. Whichever you choose, it's trained on wires against a wall or fence, and a late frost at flowering can hit the crop, so check your area's frost dates. The tayberry growing guide covers planting, training and pruning.
| Tayberry | Hardiness | Spread | Canes | Fruit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard tayberry | H7 | 2.5–4m | Usually thornless | Long, red, up to 4cm |
| Buckingham | H5 | 1.5–2.5m | Thornless | Large, well-flavoured |
| Medana | H5 | 1.5–2.5m | Slightly thorned | Large, juicy, aromatic |
Only the standard tayberry holds 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 standard tayberry
The original is the safest choice for a Scottish garden: the hardiest of the three by two bands, with the AGM, and canes that are usually thornless, though some thorny growth can appear, so wear gloves when tying in. It's also the most vigorous, spreading 2.5–4m, so it needs a good length of wall or fence.
The fruit is long and red, up to 4cm, and darkens as it ripens over July and August. It's sharper than a raspberry but usually sweeter than a loganberry. It's at its best in jam and cooking, though it can be eaten fresh.
Buckingham and Medana
Buckingham is bred to be thornless, sometimes sold as Buckingham Thornless, with large, well-flavoured fruit on a more compact plant, 1.5–2.5m. Medana is the same size, with large, juicy, aromatic fruit, but it's slightly thorned. Both are H5, so give them a sheltered spot, and they're the better fit where the standard tayberry's spread won't fit.
Which one for your situation
- Most gardens, or a cold or exposed one: the standard tayberry.
- A small, sheltered garden, no thorns: Buckingham.
- Aromatic fruit, on a sheltered wall: Medana.
Other hybrid berries to consider
The tummelberry came out of the same Dundee breeding programme, with the tayberry as one of its parents. It's thorny and of medium vigour, so it takes less wall than a standard tayberry, and it's suited to colder areas. The trade is the fruit: moderate crops of medium-sized berries, shorter, redder and less aromatic than a tayberry's, and better made into jam than eaten raw.
A loganberry is the other common raspberry and blackberry cross. Its fruit is dark red and sharper tasting than a tayberry's. See the best loganberry varieties, or for blackberries, the best blackberry varieties.
Blackberries are easy to find in garden centres, but hybrid berries are mainly sold online by fruit nurseries and other specialist suppliers.
Common questions
Which tayberry is hardiest for Scotland?
The standard tayberry, rated H7, hardy below -20°C. Buckingham and Medana are H5, so they may struggle on exposed or northerly sites.
Is there a thornless tayberry?
Buckingham is bred to be thornless. The standard tayberry's canes are usually thornless but can have some thorns, and Medana is slightly thorned.
Tayberry or loganberry?
Both are raspberry and blackberry crosses with long red fruit, ready from July. Tayberry fruit is usually sweeter than a loganberry's, and loganberries are sharper tasting. Both are best for jam and cooking but can be eaten fresh.
Which tayberry suits a small garden?
Buckingham or Medana, both spreading 1.5–2.5m against the standard tayberry's 2.5–4m. Both are less hardy, so give them shelter.
Sources
Show the 7 sources
- Rubus (Tayberry Group) Tayberry (standard): H7, AGM, usually thornless canes, spread
- Rubus (Tayberry Group) 'Buckingham': H5, thornless, spread, fruit
- Rubus (Tayberry Group) 'Medana Tayberry': H5, slightly thorned, spread, fruit
- Hardiness rating definitions: H5 and H7 definitions
- US Plant Patent PP4424: Tayberry: Bred from a 1969 cross at the Scottish Horticultural Research Institute, Dundee
- US Plant Patent PP5697: Tummelberry: Bred at SCRI, Dundee, with the tayberry as a parent; fruit shorter, redder and less aromatic than the tayberry
- Blackberries and hybrid berries: grow your own: Tayberry fruit and flavour against raspberry and loganberry, harvest months, the tummelberry, where hybrid berries are sold