Thimbleberry resembles the more commonly grown red-flowered, so-called flowering raspberry (R. odoratus), but differs in having white flowers and a lower habit. Thimbleberry also produces edible berries more often, though the shrub is only used for decoration.
The species spreads easily in tight-growing clumps, and thrives in shady forest gardens. At Mustila it covers the ground under the hazelnut bushes on Pähkinärinne (Hazelnut Slope), where it only grows about 50 cms high. It spreads aggressively via rhizomes, which needs to be taken into consideration when selecting where to plant it.