About
Ribes speciosum, the fuchsia-flowered gooseberry, is a spiny, medium-sized, semi-evergreen shrub with bristly stems and small, oval, slightly lobed, glossy leaves. Small, drooping, fuchsia-like, bright-crimson flowers with prominent stamens hang beneath the stems in mid and late spring. One of the most ornamental of all the gooseberries for a sheltered, sunny wall or border.
About the genus
Ribes, the currants and gooseberries, are deciduous or evergreen shrubs, sometimes spiny, with simple, usually palmately lobed leaves and small, tubular or bell-shaped flowers borne in spring or summer, followed by juicy, sometimes edible berries. Ornamental and useful garden shrubs.
Growing conditions
SunlightFull sun
Soil typeChalk, Clay, Loam, Sand
Soil pHAcid, Alkaline, Neutral
Soil moistureMoist but well-drained, Well-drained
AspectSouth-facing, East-facing
ExposureSheltered
UK hardinessH4
Plant details
Plant typeShrubs
HabitBushy
FoliageDeciduous
Height1.5-2.5 metres
Spread1-1.5 metres
Time to full height5-10 years
Suggested usesMixed borders, hedging, foundation planting.
Native toUSA (California), Mexico
Care notes
CultivationEasy to grow deciduous shrub but may not be fully hardy in exposed sites and best planted against a sunny wall
PruningPruning group 2
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