Silk Hope Mulberry
An excellent selection of mulberry from the town of Silk Hope, North Carolina where they once held high hopes for a silk industry. Fruits are quite large and similar in flavor to Illinois Everbearing mulberry, but the trees are reportedly better adapted and more resilient to fungal diseases in the Southeast than Illinois Everbearing.
Exotic, sweet, and delicious, Mulberries are very popular in Central Asia and the Middle East. Now we can grow and enjoy this juicy and nutritious fruit! Mulberry fruit resembles a Blackberry and is delicious eaten fresh and can be dried for tasty winter snacks. Mulberries are pest and disease resistant and form an attractive, small tree with dark green, tropical foliage. Along the ancient Silk Road in Central Asia, Mulberries are widely grown for their foliage, which is used to feed silkworms.
Latin Name: Morus rubra x alba
Site and Soil: 1/2 day to full sun and well-drained soil.
Pollination Requirements: Self-fertile.
Hardiness: Hardy to minus 25° F.
Bearing Age: 2 – 3 years after planting.
Size at Maturity: 15-20 ft. in height
Taste: Sweet
Fruit Color: Black
Fruit Size: Large
Bloom Time: Spring
Ripening Time: July to September
Yield: 15-25 lbs.
Pests & Diseases: Mulberries are not bothered by pests or diseases.
USDA Zone: 4-9