Overview

The mulberry tree live plant of the ‘Illinois Everbearing’ variety is a highly sought-after specimen for fruit enthusiasts and gardeners alike. Known scientifically as Morus rubra, this particular cultivar is celebrated for its extended fruiting season, delivering a continuous harvest of sweet, dark berries from early summer into fall. Unlike many other mulberry varieties, the ‘Illinois Everbearing’ is self-fertile, meaning you only need one tree to enjoy a bounty of fruit. This makes it an ideal choice for home orchards, edible landscapes, or even as a shade tree that offers a delicious bonus. Our plants are shipped as healthy, rooted seedlings, typically around 12 inches in height, ready for transplanting into your garden. They are robust and adapt well to a variety of conditions, making them a rewarding addition for both novice and experienced gardeners.

Key Benefits

Adding an ‘Illinois Everbearing’ mulberry tree live plant to your landscape offers numerous advantages, from its delicious fruit to its hardiness and ease of care. This versatile tree provides both aesthetic appeal and practical benefits.

• Abundant and Extended Fruit Production: Enjoy a long harvest season with continuous production of large, sweet, dark purple mulberries from June through September. This means a steady supply of fresh fruit for eating, baking, or preserving.
• Self-Pollinating: The ‘Illinois Everbearing’ is a self-fertile variety, eliminating the need for multiple trees for pollination. A single tree is sufficient to produce a generous crop of berries.
• Hardy and Adaptable: This robust tree thrives in a wide range of climates, particularly cold and temperate zones (USDA Hardiness Zones 5-9). It is known for its resilience and ability to withstand various environmental conditions.
• Fast Growing: Mulberry trees generally exhibit a fast growth rate, allowing you to establish a productive fruit tree in your garden relatively quickly. You’ll be enjoying delicious fruit sooner than you might expect.
• Low Maintenance: Once established, the ‘Illinois Everbearing’ mulberry fruit tree requires minimal care, making it an excellent choice for gardeners seeking a productive yet easy-to-manage plant.
• Wildlife Attraction: The berries are a favorite food source for birds and other wildlife, adding natural biodiversity to your garden ecosystem. Consider planting it in a spot where you don’t mind sharing the harvest.
• Versatile Culinary Uses: The sweet mulberries are excellent for fresh eating, jams, jellies, pies, sauces, and wines. Their rich flavor is a delightful addition to many recipes.

Plant Care & Growing Tips

Caring for your mulberry tree live plant is relatively straightforward, ensuring years of delicious fruit. The ‘Illinois Everbearing’ variety is quite resilient, but providing optimal conditions will lead to the best growth and fruit production. It prefers a location with full sun, meaning at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day. While it can tolerate partial shade, fruit production will be significantly reduced. Ensure the planting site has well-draining soil; mulberries are adaptable to various soil types including loam and peat, but they do not tolerate consistently wet feet. A neutral soil pH is generally ideal for robust growth.

When it comes to watering, young trees require consistent moisture to establish their root systems. Water regularly, especially during dry spells, ensuring the soil remains moist but not waterlogged. Once established, mulberry trees become more drought-tolerant, but supplemental watering during prolonged dry periods will benefit fruit quality and yield. Fertilize in early spring with a balanced slow-release fertilizer, following product instructions. Pruning should be done in late winter or early spring while the tree is dormant. Focus on removing dead, damaged, or crossing branches, and shape the tree to maintain an open canopy for good air circulation and sunlight penetration. This maintenance helps prevent diseases and encourages better fruiting. Understanding growing mulberry trees is key to a successful harvest.

Size & Details

Our ‘Illinois Everbearing’ mulberry tree live plant is supplied as a healthy, rooted seedling, typically measuring approximately 12 inches in height. It is shipped in a shipping pot with soil, ensuring its health during transit and making transplanting easier. These seedlings are at the growth stage where they are ready to be planted outdoors and begin their journey to becoming a productive fruit tree. As a deciduous tree, it will shed its leaves in the fall and grow new foliage in spring. The ‘Illinois Everbearing’ is known for its vigorous growth, and under optimal conditions, it can reach mature heights of 20-30 feet with a similar spread, though it can be kept smaller with regular pruning. The tree’s foliage is green, providing a lush canopy during the growing season. This variety is cold-hardy, thriving in USDA Hardiness Zone 5 (-20 to -10 °F) and warmer.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Q: How big does this plant get? A: The ‘Illinois Everbearing’ mulberry tree live plant can grow to a mature height of 20-30 feet and have a similar spread. However, its size can be managed with consistent pruning to fit smaller garden spaces.
• Q: What size pot does it come in? A: The plant is shipped as a rooted seedling in a shipping pot with soil, typically around 12 inches tall, ready for planting in your garden or a larger container.
• Q: Is this an indoor or outdoor plant? A: This ‘Illinois Everbearing’ mulberry tree is an outdoor plant. It requires outdoor conditions to thrive and produce fruit, and is cold-hardy enough for many climates.
• Q: How much sunlight does it need? A: For optimal fruit production and healthy growth, the mulberry fruit tree requires full sun, which means at least 6-8 hours of direct sunlight per day.
• Q: Is this plant easy to care for? A: Yes, the ‘Illinois Everbearing’ mulberry is considered a relatively low-maintenance fruit tree once established. It’s known for its hardiness and adaptability, making growing mulberry trees a good choice for various gardening skill levels.
• Q: What condition will it arrive in? A: Your mulberry tree live plant will arrive as a healthy, rooted seedling, approximately 12 inches tall, securely packaged in its shipping pot with soil to ensure its well-being during transit.
• Q: Is it shipped in soil? A: Yes, the plant is shipped as a rooted seedling in its original shipping pot with soil, ensuring minimal shock during transport and easy transition to your garden.
• Q: When is the best time to plant? A: The best time to plant your ‘Illinois Everbearing’ mulberry seedling is in spring or early summer after the last threat of frost, allowing it ample time to establish before winter.
• Q: Will it survive winter in my zone? A: The ‘Illinois Everbearing’ mulberry is cold-hardy and thrives in USDA Hardiness Zones 5-9. If your zone falls within this range, it should survive winter without special protection.
• Q: What is the genus of this mulberry? A: The genus for this mulberry is Morus. The specific species is Morus rubra, with ‘Illinois Everbearing’ being the cultivar.