About
A healthy, vigorous deciduous bush. Strings of greenish flowers in spring are followed by high yields of sweet and juicy translucent pink berries. Harvest in July.
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, Partial shade
Soil typeClay, Loam, Sand
Soil pHAcid, Neutral
Soil moistureMoist but well-drained
AspectEast-facing, North-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, Wildlife gardens
Care notes
CultivationGrow in a well-drained, fertile soil with a neutral to slightly acid pH. Full sun is preferred, but partial shade is tolerated and plants can be trained against a north wall. Grow as a permanent framework as a bush, standard, cordon or fan. Keep the area around the bushes free of other plants. Mulch with well-rotted compost, manure or bark particularly on dry soils. Further redcurrant cultivation advice
PruningMay be pruned to create a permanent framework as a bush, standard, cordon or fan. Main pruning in dormant season; also summer pruning of vigorous side shoots
PropagationPropagate by hardwood cuttings in autumn
Pest resistanceMay be susceptible to gall mites, gall midge and aphids
Disease resistanceMay be susceptible to a leaf spot, coral spot and sometimes honey fungus. Resistant to powdery mildews