Nursery Production and Plant Management
of Aristotelia x fruserrata

[ I will refer to these as ‘wineberries’]

Growth

Form

For best form, in addition to being set out in an open situation, the wineberries are particular about being spaced out between each other; not touching each other. This will enable them to furnish themselves well and adopt their attractive, characteristic, compact, shrubby form.
I have noticed that plants which have been left to stretch upwards retain this form for years after planting out in the garden, and their striking rounded form/appearance is compromised.
This information would well be passed on to the garden centers to enable them to keep their stock looking good throughout the season.
I recommend growing regular, smaller batches of the wineberries to keep stocks in good form and with fresh appearance.
‘Pot bound’ older nursery stock, does not appear to perform so well after finally being planted out.

Pruning young plants:

A wineberry plant with a good central leader, I believe, is preferable for optimal plant shape when planted out long term.
If the central leader is tipped, [e.g. by hand, drying out too much, or frosting], the wineberries tend to put out strong ‘candelabra like’ side branching. This response needs to be brought back into balance by tipping these side branches as well.

Hardiness

Growing the wineberries in an open situation through the summer hardens off the plant for going into and through the winter. [I have seen plants grown in a shade house over summer and set out in early autumn get frost nipped by an early ‘out of season’ frost. They had not had a chance to toughen up from their overly softened state prior to winter frosts. These plants would be more prone to snow damage. They might also exhibit more of their semi-evergreen characteristics and drop more leaf in the winter.]
The garden centers would do well to keep the plants in an open place to keep the plants in a hardened state ready for planting out in any exposed sites.