Do All Mulberry Trees Bear Fruit?
- While the fruit of mulberry trees is edible, it is messy and stains concrete and other hard surfaces. Fruitless ornamental varieties eliminate this problem. Ornamental mulberry trees are identical to fruiting trees in every other way. Their large leaves and umbrella form make them an interesting landscaping tree. Mulberry trees are long-lived, and tolerant of drought, alkaline soils and heat.
- All fruitless mulberries are male. Some commonly grown ornamental varieties include Stribling, Kingan and Urban. Consult a county extension office, though, to find a variety suitable for your climate. White mulberries are hardy throughout most of the United States, but black mulberries are only hardy in the south.
- Mulberry trees produce blossoms in early spring, followed by blackberry-like fruits two months later. These fruits grow from new wood, so a heavy pruning in the spring substantially reduces yields. If you can't find an ornamental variety, consider growing a fruited type. Reduce the mess through pruning, or leave the fruit for wildlife.