Rubus arcticus 'Marika'

Arctic Raspberry Rosaceae

A raspberry that clearly believes good things come in small packages. Rubus arcticus ‘Marika’ is a Finnish cultivar of the Arctic Raspberry, a circumpolar species of cool northern woodland, heath and open forest. Low-growing and gently spreading, it forms a neat carpet of fresh green foliage, punctuated in late spring and early summer by attractive pink flowers and followed by small, dark red fruits.

The berries are the real reason for growing it. Intensely aromatic, sweet-tart and unusually rich in flavour, Arctic Raspberry fruit has long been prized in Scandinavia and northern Eurasia for eating fresh and for making jams, jellies, syrups, drinks and liqueurs. A tiny fruit with a remarkably large personality.

‘Marika’ is self-incompatible, so it needs pollen from a genetically different clone for dependable fruiting. Plant with another R. arcticus cultivar—such as ‘Mespi’, ‘Mesma’ or ‘Tarja’—to provide cross-pollination, with bees and other insects doing the legwork.

Grow in sun or light shade in cool, humus-rich, moisture-retentive soil, preferably acidic to neutral. Particularly good as an edible groundcover beneath shrubs or through a woodland garden.

Height: 10–25cm
Spread: 40–60cm
Flowering: May–June
Fruiting: June–September
Hardiness: H5