Rubus Tricolor (Chinese Bramble)
A Fast-Growing Ground Cover for Challenging Areas
Overview
Rubus tricolor, commonly known as Chinese Bramble or Groundcover Bramble, is a vigorous evergreen shrub that excels as a ground cover plant. Unlike its fruit-bearing relatives, this ornamental bramble is grown purely for its attractive foliage and exceptional ability to suppress weeds whilst covering large areas quickly. Native to western China, it has become a popular choice for gardeners seeking reliable, low-maintenance ground cover.
Key Features
This trailing shrub produces long, arching stems covered in distinctive three-lobed, heart-shaped leaves that are glossy dark green above and felted white beneath, creating beautiful contrast when caught by the wind. The stems are armed with small, hooked thorns but are far less aggressive than traditional brambles. Small white flowers appear in summer, occasionally followed by small, edible red fruits, though fruiting is generally sparse in British conditions.
Growing Conditions
Light Requirements: Performs well in partial shade to full sun, though colours best with some direct sunlight. Particularly valuable for its tolerance of quite deep shade where many other ground covers fail.
Soil Preferences: Adaptable to most soil types, from clay to sandy loam. Prefers well-drained conditions but will tolerate some moisture. Once established, shows good drought tolerance.
Hardiness: Fully hardy throughout the UK (RHS H5), withstanding temperatures well below -10°C without protection.
Planting and Care
Plant from autumn through to early spring, allowing 1.5-2 metres between plants for ground cover purposes. Prepare the soil by removing perennial weeds and incorporating organic matter if the soil is particularly poor. Water regularly during the first growing season to encourage rapid establishment.
Maintenance: Trim back any wayward or overly long shoots in late winter or early spring to maintain shape and encourage dense growth. Can be cut back hard every few years if it becomes too vigorous. Generally pest and disease-free, though may occasionally suffer from aphid attacks.
Garden Uses
Slope Stabilisation: Excellent for covering steep banks where erosion might be a problem, as the rooting stems help bind the soil.
Difficult Areas: Perfect for awkward corners, beneath established trees, or areas where regular maintenance is challenging.
Wildlife Gardens: Provides excellent cover for small mammals and birds, whilst the occasional flowers attract beneficial insects.
Weed Suppression: Forms such dense coverage that it effectively prevents weed establishment once mature.
Mature Size
Grows to approximately 0.10-0.5m in height but can spread 1.5-2.5 metres or more, with stems rooting where they touch the ground. This self-layering habit means it can eventually cover very large areas if left unchecked.
Companion Plants
Works well with spring bulbs planted through it, such as daffodils or crocuses, which flower before the bramble reaches full density. Combines effectively with other robust plants like bergenia, hardy geraniums, or ornamental grasses at the margins where it meets other plantings.
Special Notes
Important Consideration: This is a vigorous plant that can become invasive if not managed properly. Regular pruning to contain spread is essential, and it's not suitable for small gardens or areas where precise boundaries are important. The thorny stems mean thick gloves are advisable when handling.
The plant is deciduous in colder areas but may retain some foliage in milder regions. Despite being related to blackberries, the fruits are generally too sparse and small to be of culinary interest.
Ideal For
Gardeners with larger spaces who need reliable, fast-establishing ground cover for challenging conditions. Particularly valuable for wildlife gardens, naturalistic plantings, or anywhere a robust, low-maintenance solution is required.
Buying Shrubs from Jacksons Nurseries
At Jacksons Nurseries we sell a variety of shrubs both evergreen and deciduous with a variety of flowering times throughout the year. At certain times of the year our shrubs you buy from us may not look like the images shown on our website when deciduous leaves have fallen, the shrub has finished flowering or has been trimmed back.
Some leaves on evergreen shrubs can be damaged in winter by frost or harsh winds but in spring new leaves will readily replace those damaged. This is quite normal on many evergreen varieties and is preferable to plants grown with excessive protection that show cold shock once planted out and establish less satisfactory initially.
Availability: Stock availability figures are provided as a guide only. There is a delay between orders being placed and the plants being gathered by our pulling team. During this time it may be possible for a member of the public to purchase these plants from our Garden Centre, while this is rare it is a possibility and we will notify you of any problems as soon as possible. This figure may also include plants that have not yet be flagged as unsaleable.
Pre-order: Pre-order times are given as a guide only and may vary dependent on the growing season. Orders containing Pre-ordered products will be shipped as a single order when all items become available. Large orders may be part shipped, please contact us on 01782 502741 or email sales@jacksonsnurseries.co.uk.
* Please Note: Shrubs in 20 litre pots and above might require a pallet delivery starting at £79.99 per pallet. Depending on the exact pot size and height it may be possible to get approximately 5 plants per pallet at no extra cost. The maximum height we can dispatch on a pallet is 2.0m, this includes the height of the pallet and pot.
Shrubs are deciduous or evergreen woody plants, and often provide fragrant flowers, berries and foliage. They are good for structural framework, and they can provide a wonderful shelter and food source for wildlife.
Planting and Conditions
Container grown shrubs can be grown at any time of year. It is a little known fact that shrubs planted in the autumn and winter will be easier to look after than those planted in the spring and summer, because they will have time to establish and become hardy in the cooler months.
Plant the shrub at the same depth as it was in its original pot. Planting too deeply can result in root and stem rot.
One of the biggest causes of death in new shrubs is drought stress, so keep it well watered until it’s established.
Make sure you loosen the soil prior to planting. Most shrubs are tolerant of most soil types as long as it is fairly well draining.
Most shrubs will grow happily in containers, but they will be much more demanding on feeding and watering than shrubs in the ground would be. They will also need potting on every couple of years so that they don’t suffocate or become stunted in their pot.
Aftercare and Pruning
Once established, shrubs generally do not require much water. However, at first they need careful, frequent watering and should not be left to dry out.
Shrubs in the ground are generally not demanding and in most cases, annual feeding with general purpose fertilizer will suffice. Shrubs in containers may need more feeding; usually from early spring until late summer.
Shrubs also benefit from mulching in order to supress weeds, conserve moisture and provide vital nutrients. Mulch also greatly improves soil conditions. Shrubs can be mulched in late winter, after fertiliser has been applied, but it can be mulched through autumn to late spring as long as the ground is damp.
All shrubs benefit from dead-heading once spent flowers become apparent. Rhododendrons and Lilac especially benefit from the removal of dead flowers.
Some shrubs may show signs of reverted growth or ‘sporting’. This is where random shoots of different leaves associated with the plant’s parentage begin to appear. Most commonly this is where plants with variegated leaves sprout pure green growths instead of variegated ones.
To control reversion, remove reverted shoots promptly to discourage them. Reverted shoots are usually much more vigorous than the variegated ones, and thus should be completely pruned out and cut back into wood containing variegated foliage.
Potential Issues
Although shrubs are usually very robust garden plants, they can sometimes start to decline with no apparent or obvious reason.
This will start with browning leaves, which could indicate plant stress due to lack of water or waterlogging, an establishment failure or, in the worst case scenario, honey fungus. Another cause of leaf browning is a high salt content in the soil. This could be a natural occurrence, especially if you live near the ocean, or it could be from over fertilisation.
To remedy a high salt content, cut back on fertiliser and step up your watering regime for the next few weeks. If you live by the ocean, this will be harder to remedy—but stepping up your watering will help to wash some of the salt away all the same.
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