There s a lovely, soft red rose called Alexander Mackenzie that blooms in June each year. It smells like crushed red raspberries, a reminder that brambles are soon on their way. Add the sounds of grasshoppers playing their back-leg instruments in the grass, and you have the perfect explanation for why you garden. Fall is a good time to prune, because you remove pests that otherwise overwinter and attack new growth in spring. Once the fruit matures, the cane dies, and it should be cut down to the ground Pruning To get the best quality of fruit from your raspberries, you need to prune annually.
Some people are intimidated by the idea of pruning, so it helps to understand how the plant grows.
A raspberry is essentially a root system that sends up shoots or canes. The first year, each cane produces only leaves, and it feeds the roots. In the second year, the cane produces leaves and fruit. Once the fruit matures, the cane dies. Cut the canes that have produced fruit right back to ground level each fall or early spring.