Position of raspberries

Can raspberries be decorative? I'd like to place mine at the end of the lawn as a sort of fence/screen to the patio. Is this a bad idea?

 

Raspberries throw up suckers, and are very invasive, Sanuka - we grow them in a very restricted space. If you can keep them in check, there's no reason why not, but you'll need to be vigilant! How about using one of the non-invasive bamboos to do the job, and have the raspberries in a well-confined corner?

This is one the "polite bamboo" Fargesia murieliae
http://images.google.com/images?q=Fargesia%20murielae%20Jumbo&hl=en-GB&sourceid=gd&rls=GGLD,GGLD:2006-49,GGLD:en-GB&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wi

 

If they are flanked on one side by the patio and the other lawn, would the suckers be too much of a problem as they will just get mown off? As they are shallow rooting, could a barrier also be created with sunken planks between them and the lawn?
I just like the idea of sitting on the patio and picking off raspberries - bliss!

 

Yes, I like the idea too, Blackthorn! :D I reckon that so long as you're aware of the potential problem, and keep the suckering in check, you'll be ok, Sanuka.

Good luck with it!

 

Just thought, raspberry canes are easily blown over and will need some sort of support, they are usually tied to wires fixed to posts at either end.
Like the 'polite bamboo' Dendy :D

 

Yes, that's right - VERY strong wire attached to posts, like this.....

scroll down to the middle of all the writing, and you'll see what I mean.

http://www.larsenfarmnursery.com/berries/Raspberries/raspberries_main.htm

 

My gardens not very big so I'm having trouble picking a spot for all the things I'd like to grow. I'm not sure I could find another spot for the raspberries - also I read it's best to have them free on both sides. The only other spot i'd have would involve up against a fence.

It does sound nice having them to pick on the patio so I may have to give it a go. What do I do with all the suckers it'll throw up? Do i replant them along the wire system or just get rid of them? Just mowing them sounds easy enough - do you think that would work?

Oh and if it doesn't work out in a year or so would I be okay to move them somewhere else?

Thanks for the link with the wires dendrobium, it's helped alot.

 

Quite a good link here Sanuka -

http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/basics/techniques/growfruitandveg_growingraspberries.shtml
another link -
http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles0203/raspberries.asp

To keep suckers in check you could try putting in weed supressing membrane down the sides of the bed. I did that and it lasted for years.
The suckers provide the stems of the following year's fruit. You'll have to cut out the old fruited stems each year but if you mow down everything you'll kill the plants. Exactly how you grow your rasps will depend on the variety as summer and autumn crops are treated differently. You could of course grow both and extend the season.
Don't worry too much about growing against a fence. It may not be ideal but it should work.

 

Hi Sanuka - I wouldn't call raspberry bushes particularely decorative, especially when not trimmed a lot. They do look nice during those few weeks when they have fruits. I agree that it is a good idea to be able to access the plant from two sides, so you can reach every single raspberry! I would say that they provide definitely some screening, plus nobody will want to cross a nice high bush of them!