There are a couple of Maryland growers interested in bringing back the Wyeberry, a cross between a blackberry and a red raspberry developed by the University of Maryland, Wye Station. Ironically, it seems the few people growing it are outside the state. If you know of any sources, please let me know.
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There are several mentions of Wyeberry in this thread: Search results for 'Wyeberry' - Growing Fruit
But not knowing the goal I don’t know that a Wyeberry is necessarily the best variety to try growing.
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Thank you for your reply. I have never grown nor tasted the Wyeberry. My interest in it came from a Kent County, Maryland commercial grower who mentioned it as something she wanted to try again. The same group had grown it at a previous farm location in Cecil County, Maryland that also grew Tayberry, Boysenberry, and maybe Marionberry.
I believe the review you are referencing was from Drew, who grows Boysenberry and Wyeberry in Michigan. Though the taste was described as similar, the Wyeberry canes had a greater survival rate according to his post.
I’m personally interested in the Wyeberry as a home grower who lives in Queen Anne’s County, less than 15 minutes from where the Wyeberry was developed. With climate change, our zone has shifted from 7 to 8a, and while blackberries grow like weeds, raspberries struggle. This past season was especially difficult, and a number of commercial growers who have cultivated raspberries for years are starting to either reduce or entirely stop growing them.
A number of us have developed an interest in hybrid berries, and this year, I’m trying Boysenberry, Marionberry, Tayberry, and Loganberry. Personally, I prefer the flavor of red raspberries to blackberries and Marionberries to regular Triple Crown/Prime Ark/Ponca blackberries. I think Boysenberries may be even better than any of them, including raspberries. I am not sure on how well the Marionberries that thrive in Oregon, which is nothing like Maryland, will do here.
So, part of the interest is in bringing back a variety that was developed here and finding hybrid berries that may be better adapted than raspberries. If you have any suggestions, please let me know.
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In the thread referenced earlier there is a lot of information from a grower and forum member located in West Virginia, including many of the berries that you mentioned. In order to find just the posts that cover those specific berries (I know that it is a long thread) you can use the check box in the search that says “Search this topic”.
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Lets start close to you…then go from there.
Try Lockbriar Farms in Chestertown MD… they used to grow Wye Berries…perhaps they still do.
https://www.lockbriarfarms.com/welcome/
I grow all of the hybrids… even forgotten ones and am trialing all of the new raspberries. There are some reds better than others at handling the heat.
I should have a better idea of my Wyeberries next year…
I think Newberry is the best of the hybrids… better at cold tolerance and maybe better at heat and drought tolerance. True dessert quality fruit.
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Thank you for the link. I learned about Wyeberries from Lockbriar, and they, too, are looking for a source. They used to grow them at their previous location in Cecil County. I will definitely try the Newberry if I can find it. Thank you!
What is the difference between wyeberries and tayberries? “The tayberry is a unique hybrid berry that’s a cross between a raspberry (Rubus idaeus) and a blackberry (Rubus fruticosus). It was developed by Derek L. Jennings at the Scottish Horticultural Research Institute in the late 1970s and named after the River Tay in Scotland.”
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I am trying Tayberry, along with Loganberry and Boysenberry, all blackberry/raspberry hybrids. All of these, though, were developed in milder Maritime/Mediterranean climates (Scotland/California/California), and the Wyeberry was developed in the Humid Subtropical Mid-Atlantic. Even though it’s no guarantee, I’m hoping it might be better adapted to our climate, and there’s the interest in the fact it was developed 15 minutes away.
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That is a very nice area for growing things. Areas like Overland park in Johnson County have a favorable climate and adequate moisture.
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I used to garden in Johnson County, Kansas.
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Do you know of any Newberry sources? They seem a bit rare, as well.
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I was actually able to successfully grow Rhododendrons there. There’a great blueberry nursery in Bonner Springs called True Vine Ranch. The fact the can so successfully grow blueberries on that limestone soil is pretty impressive.
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Me.
I have several members on here started with them in various climates.
Send me a PM with anything that you are interested in… now is the best time for me to get folks plants.
I also have Siskiyou, Kotata, Silvan etc… if any of those interest you.
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I will try any of those. I’m looking mostly for Wyeberry and Newberry. I would happily pay for them. The rarest plants I have are Marshall Strawberries if they are of interest to anyone.
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Tayberries are soft… fresh eating. Sweet. Very small window of ripe/rotten. Great to toss into a batch of mixed berry jam… which is my favorite.
Wyeberry is an attempt at Boysen to me. However the canes are a little more stiff and upright versus my Boysens. Has a bit more tart than Boysen to me. I cant vouch for cold hardiness as my Boysens do not get any cold damage yet. Fruit is reddish then turns a slight purple where as a dead nuts ripe Boysen is very purple. Thats my climate and growing condtions though.
I think Burbank, Logan, Jennings, Swartz all tried their hand at their Magnum Opus of hybrids… but Chad Finn i think learned from all of their shortcomings and perfected it.
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I got 2 starts this year of Wyeberry and i have planted them… so i have none available. Drew has discussed sharing them with anyone and everyone but i havent heard of anyone growing them…so maybe its a private club.
I reckon i could start some some root cuttings… and we can see how that plays out in the spring.
I have plenty of Newberry… just PM me on how many you want. I have some in 3 inch pots and i have mature crowns to be dug as bare root. Up to you.
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