'Illinois Everbearing' Mulberry

Illinois Everbearing is an excellent variety of mulberry tree for home gardens, prized for its long harvest season and the sweet, rich, complex flavour of its fruit.

Considered one of the best tasting cold-hardy mulberries, Illinois Everbearing is a hybrid between the red mulberry (North America) and the white mulberry (China). It can begin producing in early summer and continue for up to two months, hence the name Everbearing. Trees produce an abundance of dark, sweet berries with notes of blackberry and raspberry, but without any sourness. The flavour is very sweet and complex, explaining why mulberries are some of the best tasting fruit we grow.

Illinois Everbearing trees are vigorous and fast-growing, reaching 20–30 feet tall if unpruned, though they can be kept at 12-15 feet tall with regular pruning, and make excellent shade trees.

Cold-hardy to Zone 4 (-34ºC), Illinois Everbearing is well-suited to much of Canada and resists late frosts better than many other fruit trees. Highly attractive to pollinators and songbirds, it also makes a productive and low-maintenance addition to edible landscapes and food forests.

Common names: Illinois Everbearing Mulberry tree

Edible: Fruit and young leaves/shoots
Harvest timing: late June - early fall

Scientific name: Morus alba x rubra 'Illinois Everbearing' 
Light requirements: Full sun (6+ hours)
Full-grown size: 12-15' tall (pruned), 20-30' tall (unpruned) 
Hardiness: Zone 4
Pollination: Self-fertile 
Wildlife: Attracts pollinators and birds love the ripe fruit.
Origin: Hybrid between a red mulberry (North America) and white mulberry (China).
Noteworthy: Fruit are delicious but stain fingers and driveways. White mulberries are the sole food source for silk worms.