Description: Thimbleberry is a perennial deciduous plant from the Rosaceae family and is in
the same genus (Rubus) as raspberry, blackberry, loganberry, boysenberry, tayberry, and
dewberry. It is an aggregate fruit composed of small, individual drupes, each individual is
termed a drupelet.
Between May and early July is when the clusters of 2 to 7 showy 4cm (1.5 in.) flowers develop
and are pollinated by insects (after which berries develop). The berries turn from pink to
scarlet when fully ripe and are soft, cup-shaped and full of tiny seed. Thimbleberry is an
upright shrub with multiple, thornless stems, or canes no more than 1.5 cm (0.59 in) in diameter
that can reach heights from 1-2.5m (3-7 ft). They grow in large clumps which spread through
the plant’s underground rhizome. The bark is distinct in that it peels in tiny fragments. The
sizeable palmate leaves measure between 10-20 cm (4-in.) across with five lobes that are
somewhat reminiscent of a maple leaf.
Fine hairs are on both of the leaf, making it soft to the touch. No other member of the Rubus
family has this characteristic. Its broad soft leaves can be used to make a quick pouch for
holding gathered berries and can even provide use for a bathroom duty. Thimbleberry fruits
are smaller, flatter, and softer than raspberries and the young shoots, roots and leaves have
been used to treat many ailments. Both the leaves and the bark of these plants have
astringent properties.
They’re also called purple flowering raspberry for their showy blooms. This species
of thimbleberry is native to the Eastern third of the US. In the pacific northwest,
there’s another version of white flowering thimbleberries. They’re native to the
western US, as well as Canada.
As a wild plant, they don’t really require
fertilizer. (Commercial fertilizers can actually damage the thimbleberry
canes.) If you do add compost, be sure that it’s well decomposed. Compost
that is too fresh and still decomposing can damage their roots and actually
cause their roots to compost right along with the other materials.
Birds and small mammals like the berries so Thimbleberry will
host them and pollinators. Beside the below listing, root rot, redberry mite or aphids, and
virus complexes may complicate the plant’s life.
Black spot, powdery mildew, and rust are a terrible trio of fungi, which can attack and
destroy your plants. Scientists have found that two uncoated aspirin tablets (325
milligrams each) dissolved in 1 quart of water and used as a foliar spray can thwart these
diseases. / It’s a little-known fact that chamomile tea has antibacterial and fungicidal
properties that will aid plants suffering from fungus and mildew.
Make a simple brew for sickly plants.
Place 16 chamomile tea bags (or 2 cups of dried chamomile flowers) in 2 quarts of water,
and simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off the heat, and allow the tea bags to steep for several
hours. Strain, if using dried flowers. Use the tea to irrigate tender seedlings (from the
bottom) to prevent damping off, or use as a foliar spray to battle diseases on plants.
Never let anything go to waste so add to your watering can as well.
If plagued with black spot or powdery mildew, mix as atonic spray: 2 teaspoons of baking
soda and 1/2 teaspoon of liquid soap or Murphy’s oil soap in 2 quarts of water. The tonic
protects for months.
For plants with a fungal, viral, or bacterial disease, cook up a garlic soup batch: puree
two cloves of garlic in a blender for a minute. Slowly add 1 quart of water, and continue
blending for about six minutes. Strain the mixture, and add 1/8 teaspoon of liquid soap.
Pour the liquid into a storage container and cover tightly. When you’re ready to take
action, mix 1 part garlic soup with 10 parts water into a spray bottle and apply the mixture
to the top and undersides of your sick plant’s leaves. (take caution not to spray beneficial
insects and larvae.)
Scientists have discovered that garlic leaves are potent in their own right, so you can also
puree two handfuls of leaves instead of using cloves.
Make your own deer repellent. Rotten eggs and beef bouillon are ingredients in many
commercial deer repellents. Break 1 dozen eggs into a bucket, add 4 cubes of beef
bouillon, and fill the bucket with water. Cover it with a lid, and let the mixture sit until it
stinks. Add 2 tablespoons of liquid soap per gallon of liquid, and pour the mixture into a
spray bottle. Hold your nose and do not spray it directly on plants that you will consume;
instead, spray it around them to create an invisible barrier. For edibles, use the garlic
soup.
To discourage moles, sink a line of glass bottles into the soil with about 1 inch of neck
exposed. The whistling sound of wind blowing across the bottle tops disrupts moles’
sensitive hearing and hinders their ability to find prey. Poking several noisy toy windmills
into the soil will also disturb moles, as the vibrations will drive them away.
Slugs, snails, and Japanese beetles will not like you throwing a handful of larkspur or
delphinium leaves into a blender adding 1 gallon of water to spray onto plants. The
deadly alkaloids (deliosine and delsoline) in the leaves will zap beetles.
Mix 2 T. of red-pepper powder and 6 drops of liquid soap in 1 gallon of water. Let the
mixture sit overnight, and stir thoroughly. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle, shake well,
and spray weekly on the tops and bottoms of the leaves. This will protect plants,
especially members of the cabbage family (including broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and
brussels sprouts), from destructive insects.
