Snowbank Blackberry is Luther Burbank's 1916 masterpiece: a cold-hardy trailing blackberry that produces stunning snow-white berries with the same rich flavor as traditional dark blackberries. Bred as an improved version of his earlier 'Iceberg' variety, this heirloom cultivar thrives in zones 5-9 and grows 6-8 feet tall, making it a striking addition to northern gardens where standard blackberries struggle. The translucent white drupelets resemble tiny pearls and retain their color and flavor better than comparable white berry varieties, offering both culinary appeal and exceptional cold tolerance.
Full Sun
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5-9
96in H x ?in W
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High
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Snow-white berries that glow like pearls against green foliage represent one of ornamental horticulture's happiest accidents. Luther Burbank spent years perfecting this variety after his initial 'Iceberg' release, and the result is a trailing blackberry that combines striking visual beauty with robust disease resistance and genuine cold hardiness. The berries taste like conventional blackberries despite their ethereal appearance, making them a conversation-starting harvest rather than a novelty.
Fresh eating stands as the primary joy of growing Snowbank Blackberries. The white berries' distinctive appearance makes them prized for table display, and their flavor matches dark blackberries for jams, preserves, and baking. The trailing growth habit also suggests espalier training against north-facing walls in cold climates, where the variety can serve as both productive edible and decorative garden feature.
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Plant bare-root canes in early spring while still dormant, or transplant container-grown plants in spring after the last frost date for your zone. Set the crown at soil level or slightly below, firm the soil around the roots, and water thoroughly. Space canes 4-6 feet apart to allow room for the mature trailing spread.
Snowbank berries ripen in mid-season and retain their translucent white color even when fully ripe, making visual harvest cues essential. Pick berries when they feel soft to the touch and taste sweet; unlike dark blackberries, the color shift is subtle, so taste-testing a few berries helps identify peak ripeness. Harvest in the morning after dew dries to avoid bruising, and handle gently since the delicate white berries show damage readily.
As a trailing-type blackberry, Snowbank benefits from training along a trellis or fence to manage its sprawling growth and improve air circulation. Remove dead or diseased canes in early spring, cutting them to ground level. After fruiting, prune out the canes that bore fruit that season, as blackberries fruit only on second-year wood; this encourages vigorous new growth for next year's harvest.
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“Luther Burbank, America's most prolific plant breeder, created Snowbank Blackberry in 1916 as an intentional refinement of his first white blackberry variety, 'Iceberg.' Rather than resting on the novelty of white fruit, Burbank continued to develop and select for improved flavor retention and color stability as the berries ripened, understanding that a white blackberry needed substance beyond its appearance to earn a place in serious fruit gardens. This documented lineage places Snowbank squarely in the heritage movement: it represents deliberate, decades-long plant improvement by one of the 20th century's most respected horticulturists.”