I have read from several sources Moutere Raspberries is heat hardy from Nourse even though they say there not that's what I'm going with but there's hardly nothing about this variety but it's new. I've really been doing research on Caroline and from what I've read they are all round better than Heritage even more heat tolerant! but I have the same problem trying to decide. Hope this helps! Heres a link for Moutere Raspberry information:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090226134811.htm

http://www.ashs.org/pressrelease/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=989%3Anew-zealand-breeding-program-creates-new-red-raspberry-variety&Itemid=3

Thanks for mentioning Moutere, beekeeper. I'd seen it at Nourse, but it hadn't really caught my attention. The suggestion that it has potential for zones 8-10 sounds interesting. My only worry is that it's adapted to New Zealand and, according to Nourse, the Pacific Northwest, where zones 8-10 have a distinctly different climate than zones 8-10 in our region. I'll definitely do some more reading, though, especially if you've seen references to it being heat tolerant.

I'm glad to see that you've found references to Caroline being heat tolerant, as well. Perhaps if properly irrigated, it could soldier through our summers. Nourse's description, as well as comments from growers that I've read here and there, make it sound fabulous!

I would call Caroline heat-tolerant, it took my heat and never complained a bit. I believe my annual heat units are similar to the piedmont area.

Scott

Well that's a very good point but my choice is either Moutere, Caroline, or Heritage? which at this point I'm thinking Caroline but I afraid it will get to hot and they will especially with the humidity here.

Thanks for your input, Scott -- your success with Caroline is encouraging. At this point, I'm leaning toward trying a variety of plants, Caroline included, but with an emphasis on Black Raspberries since I keep seeing references to their ability to handle heavier soils and a wider range of temperatures (plus they don't sucker, which is a plus on my small lot). I'll probably order from Indiana Berry & Plant Company -- they offer a nice selection, sell single plants at very reasonable prices, and their Garden Watchdog rating is very good.

On a side note, when I was looking around for info on growing Raspberries in containers last night, I came across several threads in which Don Yellman in VA spoke very highly of a variety called by Baba or Bababerries (I've seen it listed both ways). Apparently, it's a raspberry variety that was developed in California specifically for warmer climates (zones 6+) and does well in high heat. The downside is that it's hard to find from a reputable nursery (TyTy/Aaron's and Willis claim to have them, but I'm not about to business with either company). I found one nursery in California (Bay Laurel) that looked like a good option, but they're currently sold out.

I grow a number of raspberries in central VA and have found Caroline, Prelude, Kiwi Gold, and Heritage (and a few others) to be heat tolerant. I think last year's brutal summer negatively affected my Caroline and Prelude plants (might have been a virus, also), but my Kiwi Golds and Heritages seemed to take the heat a bit better. I'd still definitely recommend trying Caroline and Prelude because they did great the 3 years prior and they taste better in my opinion. My soil is fairly heavy, a loamy red clay.

I (attempted?) to purchase Baba awhile back based on Don's recommendations and the only place I could find it was Willis, so I rolled the dice. The one surviving Baba has yet to fruit, but it doesn't look like the web images of Baba I've found and, instead, looks almost exactly like a wineberry (red trailing canes with numerous closely-spaced, long hair-like thorns interspersed between fewer larger curved thorns). I'm hoping that the web images are incorrectly labeled and that I've actually got a Baba, but I've got my doubts. Bay Laurel always seems to be out of them, so please post if you find another source. I think it has been suggested that Don should fill the void and, following the Doyle's model, start selling Baba's under his name for $20 apiece....

If you buy them early enough from Bay Laurel you can get them. I bought 3 of them like early Decemeber and they still had them!