Raspberry TulaMagic - Rubus idaeus

The Tulamagic 'Fruatfrui' Raspberry Bush is a non-perpetual but vigorous and early-fruiting variety, producing numerous prickly canes with a bountiful harvest. Its raspberries are large, firm, and light red with good consistency. They are intensely fragrant with a sweet and mild flavour that will delight gourmets. This easy-to-grow variety is not very susceptible to root rot and phytophthora. Plant from October to March for a harvest from mid-June to mid-July.

To fully enjoy their flavour, raspberries should be consumed quickly after picking, as they do not keep well. If you have a plentiful harvest, consider making coulis, sorbets, tarts, or jams. You can also freeze them. Production reaches its normal level in the third year after planting. One plant can bear fruit for around 10 years.

The Tulamagic variety is an improvement on the Tulameen Raspberry Bush, a cultivar originating from Switzerland. It is vigorous and sucker-producing, with the crown producing numerous canes each year that can exceed 1.50 m (5ft) high, even after several years of cultivation. It is a non-perpetual variety. There are perpetual varieties, which produce in June on the previous year's branches and from August to October on the current year's branches, and non-perpetual varieties, which have a bountiful harvest around June-July.

The Raspberry Bush is a deciduous shrub with upright stems, forming a bush about 1.50 m (5ft) in all directions over time. The canes are biennial, each dying after fruiting. Every year, suckers emerge from its roots, new canes armed with small prickles. The Raspberry Bush leaves are green on the upper side, white-green and downy on the underside. The flowering is highly attractive to bees. The small white flowers (1 to 2 cm (0 to 1in) in diameter) are grouped in small clusters of 10 to 12 in April-May. The fruits are formed of small agglutinated drupes, easy to detach when ripe.

The Raspberry Bush belongs to the Rosaceae family, like strawberries, blackberries, and wild roses. The wild raspberry is native to Europe and temperate Asia, where it grows in cool climates alongside elderberry, beech, or mountain ash, especially in mountainous undergrowth, but also in plains.