About
A very hardy, bushy deciduous shrub, yellow flowers are followed by long strings of dark berries. Berries ripen over a free weeks during the summer, pick the fruit once it is fully ripe and almost falling from the bush.
About the genus
Ribes can be deciduous or evergreen shrubs, sometimes spiny, with simple, usually palmately lobed leaves and small tubular or bell-shaped, solitary or racemose flowers borne in spring or summer, followed by juicy, sometimes edible berries
Growing conditions
SunlightFull sun
Soil typeChalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil pHAcid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil moistureMoist but well-drained
AspectEast-facing, South-facing, West-facing
ExposureSheltered
UK hardinessH6
Plant details
Plant typeFruit Edible
HabitBushy
FoliageDeciduous
Height1-1.5 metres
Spread1-1.5 metres
Time to full height2-5 years
Suggested usesCottage and informal garden
Care notes
CultivationGrow in moderately fertile, moist but well-drained soil in full sun.
PruningFruiting is best on two and three year old wood so remove some of the oldest shoots each winter.
PropagationPropagate by hardwood cuttings in winter
Pest resistanceMay be susceptible to gall mites, gall midge and aphids
Disease resistanceMay be susceptible to a leaf spot, powdery mildews, coral spot and sometimes honey fungus