Hybrid Mulberry; Morus 'Illinois Everbearing' Mulberry Family; MORACEÆ
For decades children have happily chanted: As we go round the mulberry bush, The mulberry bush, the mulberry bush, As we go round the mulberry bush, So early in the morning!
How few of us, though, have eaten the berries! I want to
champion their cause and convince you to grow and enjoy them. Should I
die soon, my present wish for a gravetop memorial is a hybrid mulberry
tree. Let me tell you why . . . Seattle's common species is the White mulberry (Morus alba)
from China. Its leaves are the silkworm's food: when you wear silk, you
wear mulberry leaf fibers reincarnated! All of the white mulberry's
varieties thrive in the Seattle climate. For example, we have weeping,
bird attractant, fruitless and extra-fruitful selections. Alas, the
fruitful ones are rarest of all here. The berries are white, pink, red
or deep purple, like blackberries on a tree.
Two other species can be found in Seattle, but don't thrive. Red mulberry (Morus rubra), from the eastern half of the U.S., needs a continental climate to be at its best. Paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera) from China, Taiwan, Japan and the Ryukyus islands, needs more warmth.
A small European, Black mulberry (Morus nigra),
is unfortunately too rare for us to know how it performs. However, it
does well in England, which bodes well for us. Beware: various red,
white and hybrid mulberry trees other than authentic Morus nigra get sold as "Persian" or "Spanish" mulberries.
Hybrid mulberries are best. Crossing the White and Red species results
in a tree with the most desirable attributes of both. It grows
splendidly in our climate, is hardy to extreme cold if need be;
delicious berries are borne over an unusually long period (late June
through late September); and the tree is exceptionally vigorous.
The 'Illinois Everbearing' hybrid is a relatively new find, not as well
known as some of the older mulberry varieties (such as 'Hicks'). It
originated in Illinois around 1947, and because the berries were large,
flavorful, nearly seedless and had a long season, the tree was
introduced commercially in 1958.
Why are
mulberries less familiar than raspberries, apples, cherries, etc., even
though just as delectable, nutritious and easily grown? Is it for their
lacking showy flowers? No; fig and olive trees
lack pretty blossoms but are still major crops. Nor is the problem that
much spraying or pruning is needed, for practically none is; few fruit
trees in fact are so easily neglected without crop loss.
The
key is: mulberries fall when ripe, and with a splat notify the world
that if they be not eaten fresh, forget it. Marketing mulberries is
therefore difficult. Still, there is always the home-grown option. Many
people, however, who agree that the berries are refreshingly different,
cannot bide the thought of stains --mulberry juice is dark and
persistent to an infamous degree.
So, plant
your 'Illinois Everbearing' tree well away from paving, patios or
walks. Then, beginning the very first year, you can enjoy its fruit all
summer. In fall its leaves will turn yellow, then drop. Late in spring
they emerge again, soon followed by small greenish flowers. You don't
have to worry about cross-pollination with this mulberry; one tree is
all that is needed. The mature leaves are mostly ordinary but on some
shoots there are a novel mixture of shapes, like no other northern tree
produces, except the sassafras. Give the tree a sunny site, and do not allow it to dry out in summer.
Prune it only to keep it out of your way, and low enough so the berries
are easily reached. If you don't prune, its rapid growth may alarm you:
despite the children's rhyme, it's not a bush but a substantial tree.
Fortunately, the yellowish wood is useful. There are no bug or disease
problems. Birds may compete for the berries, but there will be enough
for all.
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