Rubus canadensis earns its common name honestly: smooth blackberry carries almost no prickles on its arching canes, making it a rare pleasure among the Rubus tribe. Native to the mountains of North Carolina and a wide sweep of eastern Canada, it reaches 7 to 10 feet, spreads by shallow rhizomes, and forms the kind of dense, layered thicket that birds and small mammals rely on for cover through every season. Game birds, songbirds, raccoons, chipmunks, and squirrels all work these colonies for fruit, while native bees work the white spring flowers and then nest in the dead hollow stems over winter.

In the garden, smooth blackberry belongs at the edge of a naturalized area, beside a pond, or along a stream where its colonizing habit can run without apology. It tolerates relatively barren conditions and recovers well after fire, making it a legitimate choice for reclaiming disturbed ground. Leave cut-back dead canes standing at 12 to 24 inches to protect stem-nesting bee habitat. The sweet, juicy fruit is considered richer in flavor than many cultivated blackberry varieties, and it arrives without the price of scratched arms.