PlantFiles: Creeping Bramble, Creeping Raspberry, Creeping Rubus, Crinkle-leaf Creeper
Rubus pentalobus

A much better name for this plant is creeping SALMONBERRY the berries look alike but taste better.
I don't care if it takes over the yard sounds like it leaves the larger plants alone.

I just spent 3 hours removing Rubus pentalobus from my rock garden. It was simply devouring all the other plants. The roots are very tough and deep. It may take a long time to fully eradicate this plant. I recommend using creeping raspberry ONLY where it is contained and other plants do not have to compete with it.

I have a steep bank of clay subsoil behind my house, where all of the topsoil was excavated. Nothing would grow there- not even weeds!- and the erosion was pretty bad. But thanks to this tough, vigorous plant, the bank is stabilized. Best of all, this groundcover is evergreen, and rewards me with tiny orange raspberries in the summer. Although it's a bit too agressive for planting in the garden, it's a great choice for those difficult spots with poor soil.

This is a very nice groundcover. The leaves turn an attractive burgundy in the fall. It is very tolerant of shade but grows much stronger in sunnier sites.

Planted this 3 yrs ago under huge sycamore tree. It has filled in and extended 5-6 feet from base. Never water tho it is dry shade. Edgers hold it back from paths. Seldom weed it. Takes abuse - rake leaves off it in the Fall. Grows right up to the tree trunk but doesn't climb it. It is creeping in all directions - which I wanted - and coexists with shrubs - just meanders around them. They don't seem to mind. I think I read it fixes nitrogen, but could be mistaken. I really like it and am breaking off pieces and planting them in an area close to the street that has always been a problem because of baking, reflected heat from pavement, etc. Needs weeding until it 'thickens' up, that's the only 'bad' thing I can think of to say about it.

I just received this plant at a trade and wanted to learn more about it. I'm surprised there are not more comments and pictures considering how recognized it is as a great ground cover.

Rubus pentalobus or Syn. R. calycinoides is one of few plants to have won the distinctions of Gold Medal winner for 2005 from the University of GA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. It is a ground cover for full to partial shade. According to the UGA web site description:

"Most landscapes have difficult sites, such as hot, dry, erodible slopes or ditches where soil moisture fluctuates from very wet to very dry. Not many plants tolerate these conditions, but Creeping Raspberry, Rubus pentalobus, is one that will. In fact, it not only survives, it thrives under harsh growing conditions.

Creeping Raspberry is a fast-growing, evergreen ground cover imported from Taiwan. It grows 3 to 6 inches and spreads 3 to 6 feet in all directions. As the name implies, Creeping Raspberry creeps along the ground by forming runners – much like strawberries – which root at their nodes and establish new colonies. Although it is aggressive, Creeping Raspberry is not invasive. It doesn't climb trees or smother nearby shrubs, and it can readily be controlled with mechanical edging.

Creeping Raspberry has coarse-textured leaves with deep veins that make them appear puckered. The are about 1.5 inches in diameter and have three to five lobes. During spring and summer, the leaves are shiny, dark green above and gray-green below. They turn burgundy in fall and winter. White flowers are borne in mid-summer, but they are lost in the foliage and not very showy. The flowers are followed by tiny, raspberry-like fruit in late summer. Although the fruit are tasty and edible, they are tiny, so don't expect an abundant harvest for your breakfast table. Fruiting is not one of the plant's outstanding attributes.

Plant Creeping Raspberry plants 4 to 6 feet apart to allow them plenty of room to spread. A full-sun site is best although plants will adapt to partial shade. Avoid planting them in wet soils or areas that may get too much irrigation. Wet soils or overhead irrigation will cause the plants to look ragged.

Creeping Raspberry does will in most areas of Georgia except in extreme mountainous regions where winter hardiness may be a problem. It has excellent pest resistance and deer tolerance. If, after a harsh winter, the foliage looks a little rough, give it a light trimming with the lawn mower in mid-March to encourage a new growth flush in spring.

To encourage rapid establishment, apply a granular fertilizer such as 16-4-8 or 12-4-8 in early spring. Apply fertilizer when the foliage is dry, and use a broom or rake to remove excess granules from the leaves. Then water with overhead irrigation to wash off any residual fertilizer.

Creeping Raspberry can be propagated by separating a rooted runner from the mother plant.

It is not just for ditches or slopes. Creeping Raspberry looks particularly nice when grown in a raised bed or planter and allowed to cascade over a wall or container."