I provided a note on this outstanding blackberry for Fruit Forum perhaps a couple of years ago*. The only variety to grow: a prolific cropper with incomparable flavour, unlike those vaunted for their earliness, which have no taste at all – and who wants early blackberries anyway, at the same time as raspberries? Seasonal growing! But a badly behaved, viciously thorny brute. Unlike well-mannered hybrid berries, such as loganberries, producing a number of manageable shoots from the base each year, ‘Fantasia’ does not, instead throwing only two or three monsters, each of which then branches prodigiously. A menace for training, which rips you apart once every year. But worth it for the fruit.
Never easy to find, it now seems to have disappeared from everyone’s list. It would be a shame if it were allowed to disappear from sale. Of the highest quality despite its bad habits, it tip-layers so readily that it must surely be a commercially viable proposition. Would any nursery please take it on? Meanwhile, between friends, I may be able to help with two or three.
Edward Olleson
A brute with lovely fruit – what a wonderful picture. Could we please have a plant for the berry garden we are planning at Brogdale next to the National Fruit Collection?
Do you know its origins?
Believed to be a sport from a wild blackberry, but I know no more.
It’s just what I’m looking for – a thorny barrier together with delicious fruit! I’d love to take you up on your offer – would you be willing to let me have one rooted tip!
Alleged originally to have been found growing on an allotment in Kingston-upon-Thames.
Fantasia was assessed by the Consumers Association in a comparative exercise, reported in their ‘Gardening from Which?’ magazine, Nov 1987. Their overall opinion on ‘garden merit’ was ‘generally not worthwhile’, even though noting its good flavour alongside heavy yield and (extreme) vigour. They said it was a ‘new variety of unknown parentage introduced by Ken Muir’. It was available by mail from Bowers (Norfolk) and Muir (Essex).
However, the RHS had seemingly given it a Certificate of Preliminary Commendation in 1987, according to Ken Muir’s booklet on ‘Growing Cane…Fruits for pleasure’, 1988 ed. Its description of Fantasia mentions ‘…very vigorous, thick and thorny…outstanding crops of extremely large berries [their size not diminishing noticeably through the season] … flavour is good’. The booklet entry also referred to it as ‘…discovered…on an allotment in Surrey and thought to be a cross … Merton Thornless and wild blackberry.
I remember hearing of it being found in Kingston, on the allotment of someone well known in RHS fruit circles but whose name I’d forgotten. But a phone consultation with Harry Baker, former RHS Fruit Officer, produced the name of Alan Buller, who apparently acquired the plant from a fellow allotmenteer. Harry recalls its name as initially being Keates’ Special, reflecting the original finder, and that is the name for which Plant Breeder’s Rights were granted to
a Mr B J Keates of an address actually in Chessington, which is about 2-3 miles south of the town of Kingston. Both places were originally separate administrations in north east Surrey but subsequently found themselves within the same admin area – the London Borough of Kingston upon Thames – following the massive reorganisation of local government over 40yrs ago.
I have grown one in my garden in Epsom for over 20yrs, alongside a tip-rooted ‘anon’ from my former allotment, which fruits first, in late Jul/early Aug. Fantasia follows. I discovered for myself that the peak of maturity – flavour/aroma – is when the shiny berries become dull, and soft enough so that a modest touch with a finger detaches them in to the palm of the hand. But they need to be eaten within a day or two!
Mr B J Keats’s allotment was at the Addison Gardens Allotments in Surbiton, where his wife still continues to keep a plot. agaa.org.uk
Several AGAA members are maintaining the cultivation of this great blackberry.
Excellent reading, just purchased three plants from Ken Muir. They are quite small so probably two years from a decent crop but after reading about the flavoursome fruit and large size, can’t wait to see it come into fruiting,
Am I correct in my assumption this beast needs approximately four meters of horizontal support either side?
If you are still looking of Fantasia, it is on Ken Muir’s website in UK.
Ken Muir has the following description: ‘Fantasia produces amazing crops of extremely large outstanding flavoured blackberries. The berry size which can sometimes exceed the size of a 50p coin, does not diminish noticeably throughout the season and just one plant produces an average of 36kg (80lbs) once established. We have even had one customer in Hadleigh, Suffolk, who reported he picked 163lbs of fruit from a single bush on his allotment! Fantasia has an excellent flavour and has the subtle flavour of the wild blackberry. The canes are very vigorous, thick and thorny. Ripens early August onwards. Requires 4.5m (15ft) of wall space.
One year on and my three small Fantasia plants have been unleashed, Vigorous – incredibly so, stems growing up to 15 foot!!
Thorny… Yes .. Vicious. Great to create a barrier. The few fruit in its first year were flavourless, put down to all its energy going into growth. Look forward to a good crop in 2015!!