Salmonberry is a deciduous bramble native to the Pacific Northwest. Salmonberry is likely to be the first berry you taste out of your garden every year. While salmonberry is not as robust in flavor as it cousins blackberry and raspberry, it has a subtler taste that some prefer and is early ripening fills in important niche when few other berries are ready to eat. The berries are good raw and can be frozen or made into preserves and compotes. Because of their high water content the berries do not dry well. Salmonberries are known to be an excellent source of vitamins C and K, and manganese.
Salmonberry is widely grown just for its incredible flowers. Beginning in early spring and continuing into May, the Salmonberry produces copious quantities of lush, dark pink flowers. If you like to attract hummingbirds to your yard, Salmonberry flowers will keep them coming back every year. The large berries have an ornamental quality all their own, ranging in color from orange/gold to salmon pink to neon red to purple/black. The raspberry like canes have a reddish-brown bark and tiny spikes proliferating along the cane.