15cm / 1.5L

Japanese Wineberry

Rubus phoenicolasius

Name: Rubus phoenicolasius
Brand: GROW TROPICALS
SKU: RUBUPHOE15
Price: 12.99 GBP
Availability: InStock

£12.99

Hardy in the UKSun-loving

Pot size

15cm / 1.5L £12.99

FREE tracked delivery on orders over £60

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Description

Rubus phoenicolasius, the Japanese wineberry, is the rare fruit bush that would earn its place with no fruit at all: every stem is clothed in soft red bristles that glow like filament in low winter sun. Then from late July into August come the berries: small, glossy, amber to wine-red, with a sweet-sharp flavour between raspberry and grape, eaten straight from the cane, scattered over desserts or made into a jewel-coloured jam.

Hardiness and seasons. Rated H5 by the RHS, hardy to around -15C, it crops in the useful gap between summer and autumn raspberries. Each berry ripens inside a bristly calyx that only opens at the last moment, which keeps the birds off better than any netting.

In the garden. Train it as a fan on wires against a fence or wall, where it doubles as productive screening and the most ornamental thing in the winter fruit garden. It sits as happily among exotic border planting as in a kitchen garden, and it is one of the most beautiful of all our exotic edibles.

Live Arrival Guarantee

All plants are covered by our 7-day live arrival guarantee. We pack every order in protective, sustainable packaging designed to keep your plants safe in transit, and every plant is checked before it ships. On the rare occasion something is not right on arrival, we will make it good, provided the plant is still in its original nursery pot.

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What to Expect

Seasonal by nature: what to expect

Grown outdoors, the way nature intended. Weather-tested and hardened in real UK conditions, so they thrive in your garden. A few marks on the older leaves are normal, the sign of a tough, real plant rather than a flaw.
It follows the seasons. Depending on when you order, your plant may arrive cut back, dormant or leafless. That's healthy: dormancy is the ideal time to plant.
Posted, not posed. Big leafy plants like bananas and gingers may be trimmed or gently folded to travel safely. It does the plant no harm, and it powers away again in spring.

Not sure what to expect from yours? Dormant, cut-back or weather-marked plants are all perfectly healthy and normal. Read what to expect through the seasons

Delivery & returns

Order by 1pm Monday to Friday for same day dispatch. Every plant travels in protective, plant-safe packaging with tracked delivery.

Changed your mind? See our Return Policy.

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How to care for Japanese Wineberry

Plant me in full sun and I will stand a UK winter outdoors.

In their words

What our customers say

Arrived just like the photos - maybe even fuller. Healthy, well-acclimated, and straight into my collection with no issues.

Emily P.

Flawless leaves, stunning variegation, and clearly cared for by experts. It’s already a talking point in my home office.

James R.

Hard to find rare plants that are pet-safe. Ours arrived in perfect condition and looks amazing without any worry.

Sophie L.

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About Japanese Wineberry

Rubus phoenicolasius needs full sun or partial shade and moist but well-drained soil. It is hardy to around −15°C and stands a UK winter outdoors.

Good for

Exotic Borders Screening & Privacy

Hardiness

TenderVery hardy

RHS H5 · Hardy Exotic · down to around −15°C

RHS H5 (-15 to -10C), hardy in most of the UK even in severe winters; the dormant canes shrug off frost, and the red winter bristles look their best in cold bright weather. See what to expect from outdoor plants.

Position

Full sunPartial shadeEast-facingSouth-facingWest-facingShelteredExposed

Full sun for the heaviest, sweetest crop, partial shade tolerated; east-, south- or west-facing, exposed or sheltered, with wires or a fence to train on.

Soil

ChalkClayLoamSandMoist but well-drainedWell-drainedAcid pHAlkaline pHNeutral pH

Any reasonable well-drained soil: chalk, clay, loam or sand, acid to alkaline. Work in well-rotted manure or compost before planting and mulch each spring.

Watering

Water through the first season while the roots establish, then only in prolonged dry spells; swelling fruit in July appreciates a soak in drought. Read moreShow less

Water through the first season while the roots establish, then only in prolonged dry spells; swelling fruit in July appreciates a soak in drought.

Mature size

Height1.5 to 2.5m (RHS)

Spread2.5 to 4m (RHS; a trained fan on wires)

Reaches full size in 2 to 5 years

Growth habit

Trailing

Flowering

JFMAMJJASOND

June to July (small white flowers held in dense clusters inside bristly red calyces, followed by fruit from late July) · White

Foliage

Deciduous

Pruning

Fruits on last year's canes (floricane). Train as a fan on wires against a fence or wall. After harvest, cut the fruited canes right to the ground and tie in the strong new canes grown that summer; they carry next year's crop and give the red-bristled winter stem display. RHS: usually fan-trained; propagate by tip-layering or separating runners.

Toxicity

None known. The berries are edible and this plant is grown as a fruit crop; no RHS toxicity warning.

Native range

China, Japan and Korea

Family

Rosaceae

Also known as

Rubus phoenicolasius

Genus

Rubus

Good to know

Frequently Asked Questions

Are Japanese wineberries edible?

Very much so: that is the point of growing them. The berries are sweet-sharp with a flavour between raspberry and grape, superb eaten fresh, scattered over breakfast and desserts, or cooked into jam. They are soft and never travel, which is exactly why shops cannot sell them and gardens should.

When do they fruit?

Late July through August, neatly filling the gap between summer and autumn raspberries. Each berry ripens sealed inside its bristly calyx, which peels back only as the fruit colours, protecting the crop from birds along the way.

How do I prune it?

Like a summer raspberry. It fruits on canes grown the previous year, so after harvest cut the fruited canes right to the ground and tie in the strong new canes in their place; those carry next year's crop and give the red-bristled winter display.

Does it need support?

Yes, give it wires on a fence or wall and train the canes as a fan. It is a trailing bramble by nature; trained flat it is tidier, crops better, and shows off the winter stems.

Will it spread or take over?

It is vigorous but controllable: unlike some brambles it stays where its roots are, spreading mainly by tip-layering where a cane touches soil. Keep canes tied to the wires and cut fruited growth out each year and it behaves itself. It carries no GB restriction, though it is listed as invasive in parts of North America.

Why are the stems red and bristly?

The soft red bristles cover every cane and calyx, and they are the plant's second season: backlit by low winter sun a trained fan glows ember-red. Garden designers plant wineberry for the stems alone; the edible crop is the bonus.

Does my plant come with a pot?

Your plant will arrive in its nursery grow pot — the plastic pot it's been growing in. We don't include a decorative pot as standard, and there's a good reason for that: it means you get to choose one that fits your space and style, rather than being stuck with something that doesn't suit your home.

It also means you're not paying extra for a pot you might not want. The nursery pot is perfectly fine to keep your plant in for a while, just pop it inside a decorative cover pot or cache pot and you're good to go. When you're ready to repot (usually after a growing season or when roots start poking out the bottom), you can move it into something more permanent with fresh soil.

If you're not sure what size cover pot to go for, check the pot selector tool listed above, you'll want a decorative pot that's a centimetre or two wider than that to give it a comfortable fit.

How big will my plant be when it arrives?

Every plant on our site includes the pot size (e.g. 12cm) and, where possible, an approximate height. That's the most reliable way to set your expectations, photos can sometimes make a plant look larger or smaller than it really is.

If you're thinking "that sounds quite small for the price," here's something worth knowing: younger, smaller plants almost always adapt better to your home than larger ones. They adjust faster to your light and humidity, put out new growth more quickly, and tend to establish stronger root systems long-term. A plant that grows into your space will usually outperform one that was already big when it arrived.

That said, every plant is an individual. The one you receive may vary slightly in height, shape, or fullness compared to the photo, that's the nature of living things, not a quality issue. We select healthy, well-established specimens, and if you ever feel your plant doesn't match what you were expecting, just get in touch and we'll take a look.

What makes your plants different from the supermarket or garden centre?

There's a big difference between a plant that's been sitting under on a retail shelf and one that's been looked after and cared for by people who specialise in exactly this.

Our plants are grown in house or sourced from specialist nurseries, many of them varieties you simply won't find at your local garden centre or supermarket. Before anything leaves us, it's checked over by our horticultural team to make sure it's healthy, well-rooted, and ready to thrive in your home. We're not shifting volume off a pallet, we're choosing plants we'd want to keep ourselves.

When you buy from a supermarket, you get a plant and a generic care label. When you buy from us, you get the knowledge that comes with it, detailed care guidance, a team you can actually contact if something isn't going right, and the confidence that what's arriving has been looked after properly from the moment it was grown to the moment it reaches your door.

We're a specialist nursery first, not a retailer that happens to sell plants. That's the difference, and you'll see it the moment you open the box.

What should I do when my plant arrives?

First things first, unbox it as soon as you can. Plants don't love being in dark boxes any more than you would, and the sooner yours is out and breathing, the better.

Remove all the packaging carefully, give the soil a check with your finger, and water lightly if it feels dry. Then find it a spot with appropriate light, but avoid putting it straight into harsh direct sun or next to a radiator. Think of it like arriving somewhere new after a long journey: it needs a moment to adjust.

It's completely normal for your plant to look a little tired or droopy after transit. This is called transit stress, and most plants bounce back within a week or two. You might see a yellow leaf or some drooping, don't panic, and resist the urge to overwater or start repotting straight away.

Our advice for the first couple of weeks: leave it in its nursery pot, water it only when the top layer of soil feels dry, and let it acclimatise to your home's light, temperature, and humidity. Once it's settled in and showing signs of new growth, you can think about repotting or moving it to its permanent spot.

Every plant we sell comes with a care guide on the product page so you'll know exactly what it needs going forward. And if anything doesn't look right, get in touch with our team, we're always happy to help.

Will my plant survive being shipped?

Yes! and we go to serious lengths to make sure of it. Every plant is hand-packed by our team with protective wrapping and secure, custom-designed boxes to keep it stable and safe in transit. We've shipped hundreds of thousands of plants across the UK and our packaging methods have been refined over years to handle the bumps and jolts of delivery.

During colder months, we monitor weather forecasts and offer heat packs where needed to protect against frost. In extreme conditions, we may hold your order for a day or two rather than risk sending it out, we'd rather you wait an extra day than receive a stressed plant.

That said, plants are living things, and the occasional transit wobble can happen. If your plant arrives damaged or isn't in the condition you'd expect, just get in touch within 7 days with a photo, and we'll make it right, whether that's a replacement or a full refund. No fuss.

The short version: we treat every box like it's going to someone who really cares about what's inside, because it is.

Why Grow Tropicals

Plants delivered the way they deserve

Packaged with Care

Every order is hand-packed in eco-friendly, protective packaging - refined through thousands of deliveries to ensure your plant arrives healthy, hydrated, and looking its best.

Backed by our Live Arrival Guarantee.

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From rare collector’s pieces to easy-care favourites, our plants arrive fully potted and ready to enjoy. Add a personalised note at checkout for a thoughtful finishing touch.

Delivered fresh, beautiful, and gift-ready.

Sustainability at Heart

All plants are ethically sourced from trusted growers, never wild-collected. Every order ships carbon-neutral in minimal-waste packaging.

Good for your home - and the planet.

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Rubus phoenicolasius

£12.99